All I Ever Needed
by OstentatiousNature
Summary: Kyoko had been hiding something from Tohru besides her meeting w/ Kyo. Remember Kunimitsu, Kazuma's assistant at the dojo?He has more connections to Tohru than just the Sohmas. And will Kyo be able to confess to Tohru before he loses her forever?PlzReview
1. All I Ever Needed Opening Notes

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**ALL I EVER NEEDED**

By: Natilie Sawada

_Opening notes:_

**A/n: **This fan-fic got me out of a 3 month writer's block! _claps ecstatically_ It was really tough! But now I still can only write fan fics! (I do write real short stories, if you can believe that!) but yeah. Okay…this story will consist of drama and romance! () And this is a TohruXKyo story (They are sooo fun to write about! Them and Rin and Haru, next I think I'll experiment with Kisa and Hiro…) But I'll stop yammering and let you read the story! Enjoy!

P.S. I do apologize for the honorifics in this story. I mixed English and Japanese according to what I thought sounded best. So, Yuki calls Tohru "Ms. Honda" like in the English anime, but she calls him and Kyo "Yuki-kun", and "Kyo-kun" so it's a bit mixed up, so I'd like to apologize in advance, but…um…yeah. I hope you enjoy the story anyway!

This work is dedicated to:

**Ysabet MacFarlane** for writing wonderful fan fictions which inspired me. Some of the quotes I used at the beginnings of chapters are from her stories. I encourage you all to read her work! It's amazing.

**Type Fruits Basket Fanfiction into Google and scroll down until you see: ****Ysabet's Fruits Basket Fanfiction**

My friend **Mackenzie** for reading the work ahead of everyone else and giving back pointers.

Thanks to both of you! This story wouldn't be what it is with out you!

_**Disclaimer:**_I do not own any of these character or circumstances.

_**I'm goin' home**_

_**To the place where I belong**_

_**And where love has always**_

_**Been enough for me**_

**-****I'm Goin' Home**


	2. Chapter 1: Secrets and Lies

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**CHAPTER 1: ****Secrets and Lies**

_That's the problem with secrets. _

_Like misery, they love company. _

_They pile up and up, until they take over everything._

-**Grey's Anatomy**

_Where am I? What's going on? Tohru? Where are you? Why is everything so dark? Help me…I feel faint. I feel myself slipping…slipping away from you. Tohru… But there are so many things I haven't told you. If I had the strength to, I would tell you all about Kunimitsu, and the little orange haired boy. I would tell you about everything…but…I'm slipping too fast…someday you'll know, but…I'm slipping away from you…_

_Oh, Tohru…I see Katsuya. He smiling at me…he wants me to come with him. He says he loves you, Tohru… he says he's sorry you never really got to meet him. If only you could hear him…if only you could hear me. But Tohru…I have to do this, Tohru…I have to go. I have to go join your father now…Tohru…._

Tohru jerked her head up from her desk. An empty classroom corners shadowed with darkness stared back at her. She laid her head back down on the desk and buried her face in her arm once again.

_Oh, Mom…_ Tohru thought. Another tear rolled down her almost dried face.

May. The cherry trees outside were in full bloom and their petals were dancing in the afternoon wind. Through the window, a lone cherry petal floated in, and landed in front of Tohru on her desk.

_This petal is just like me,_ she thought as she glanced out the window at the trees, _it has been carried on the winds of fate…being thrown in many directions, torn away from its family, and other petals. Just like me…_ Tohru sighed, _and just like me, it ended up in the empty classroom…all alone._ She laid her head back down in her arms and gradually fell asleep again, dreaming of the petals of cherries, and red butterfly wings …

"Tohru…" A voice wavered at the edge of her consciousness. "Tohru, wake up," Tohru opened her eyes a bit to see Kyo standing over her. As her saw her open her eyes, the concern in his face faded.

"Tohru, you alright?" He asked.

"Hmm? Kyo-kun? What…why?" She asked, still a bit dazed from just being woken up.

"I was going downstairs, and I heard you crying." He explained, the concerned look began to return.

"Wha-I…oh, I…had a dream… a flashback…about…" she bit her lip, "…my mother." She looked down, suddenly aware of her wet face.

"Oh," Kyo said softly, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I…I'm sorry." Tohru had no idea how much more it meant to Kyo. Tohru looked out the window. Cherry trees; fully blossomed.

"Hmm," She said almost to herself, "Maybe it's the petals that remind me."

"What?" Kyo asked, glancing at her from the end of the bed.

"Oh, nothing…it's just… the petals remind me of me. After mom died, I was sitting alone in the classroom, and a cherry petal flew in. And I thought to myself: 'This petal is just like me. It's all alone in this room with no one by its side, like me.' That's what I dreamt about…and…and about when Mom died right there in the hospital. I was there…kneeling next to her bed, wishing with all my heart that she would pull through…and…" Tohru drew in a sharp, shuddering breath, trying not to cry, "the monitors went flat, and she was gone…and I…" Tohru choked down a sob, "And I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

Tohru's head fell into her hands as her shoulders shook and tears streamed down her face.

"Oh, Tohru…" Kyo said; the pain in his face clear for once. He scooted over to sit next to her and took her hand in his, and careful not to embrace her, wrapped the other arm around her shoulder.

They sat like that for a long time, no words exchanged, none needed. And after Tohru had cried all her tears, Kyo spoke:

"Tohru…there's something I think you should know." She gave him a questioning glance. "I…The thing is –

"My, my, what do we have here?" Shigure blurted as he peeked into the room. Then he noticed Tohru's tear-stained face, and the serious look on Kyo's. "Oh…I'm sorry, Tohru-kun, I didn't realize something was wrong." A little smile spread across his face, "but… if you need a hug to cheer you up, I don't mind transforming,"

"GET OUT, YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN!!" Kyo shouted as he chased Shigure down the hallway.

_Shigure-san,_ Tohru thought, beginning to smile a bit, _he always knows how to cheer me up._ Kyo walked back into the room.

"Are you all right now?" He asked.

"I'm sure," she smiled up at him. He turned to leave. "Wait!" she caught his arm.

"What is it?" the shadow of a smile played on his lips.

"I-I…I…Well…" She suddenly jumped to him, flung her arms around him and held him tight, her face pressed against his chest for the millisecond before he transformed into a cat. Oh, it was worth it to feel her arms tightly around his sturdy form, even for a second before his weight disappeared under her in a cloud of smoke. It was well worth it.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Kyo roared as a flaming orange cat now, stranding stiffly on the floorboards of her room, his back arched with surprise.

"I-I'm sorry" Tohru hung her head. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Why did she do that? What impulse had made her jump to him like that?

She heard the orange cat sigh and his fur smooth down. He laid a paw on her knee.

"Tohru…it's all right. You've been having a hard time recently. It's all right. I promise." Kyo reassured. Not thinking he continued: "Besides it-" he quickly clapped a paw to his mouth. Tohru eyed him with a questioning look. He looked away, thankful for the thick orange fur that covered his burning cheeks. "Nothing…never mind. Forget it."

With that, he scampered out of the room into the hallway, where he tensely made his way to his room. Was he really about to say that? How he really felt? How could he be that much of an idiot?

POOF!

"Crap…" Kyo made his way to his dresser through the evaporating cloud of orange smoke, and pulled on a pair of beige cargo pants and a plain black t-shirt. His favorite. After all, he'd been wearing this outfit the day he'd met Tohru. And the day she'd accepted his true form. The clothes weren't just another pair of everyday clothes. These clothes reminded him of Tohru.

God, why couldn't he stop thinking about her! He grabbed his head as if it was aching, when actually it was his heart. And she'd hugged him today too! Did that mean anything? Or was she just distraught about her mother, and needed some human contact? But whatever it was…and he'd almost said this too, he didn't really mind all that much. Besides…it had felt wonderful.

Her arms tightly around him. Her cheek pressed against his chest…_God; I have got to stop thinking about her!_ He climbed out his window and up the ladder to the roof, the best place in the world to sit and think alone. But this special place was all the more special when he got to sit and think alone… with Tohru.

_Tohru…_

"Tohru?" There she was. Sitting on the roof, the sunlight hitting her head and making her hair glow a halo on the crown of her head.

"Kyo-kun…? We just seem to keep bumping into each other today, don't we?" She smiled. A warm sensation flowed through his extremities all the way to his fingertips.

"We live in the same house, you dope. Of course we'd run into each other." He bopped her lightly on the head.

"I guess so," she smiled again. Kyo leaned back onto the shingles, and laid his hands beneath his head. Tohru too lay back on the shingles but folded her hands over her stomach. They lay in companionable silence for some time, until Tohru said out of the blue:

"The sky is so bright and blue today…" Kyo turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze. He gave one of his 'well you sure are random' looks. But it was kind. She smiled back at him. Kyo felt his finger tips tingle. He pulled his hands out from beneath his head. It wasn't that they were falling asleep. No…it was something else. He clasped his hands together tightly.

"Are you all right, Kyo-kun? You knuckles are all white?" She reached over and lightly touched his hand, then pulled her hand back.

"Your hands aren't cold…" She reached over and touched his hand again, as if making sure. But this time, as she pulled her hand back, he, without thinking, caught it in his own, and held it. She did not yank it back immediately; only a deep pink seemed to brush her cheeks.

A deep shiver ran through Tohru's body. Kyo felt it through her hand.

"You all right?" Kyo asked, worriedly pulling his hand back. His expression read: _Did I do something wrong?_

"No-!" Tohru snatched back his hand quickly. Then, realizing what she'd done, hung her head, and her cheeks burned red. The corner of Kyo's mouth tugged up into one of those amused smile he reserved for Tohru.

"Let's stay up here for a little while longer, and then I'll help you make dinner. Just to make sure you don't burn the kitchen down or anything, alright?" He bopped her on the head with his free hand. Tohru just smiled at him.

"All right." So they lay on the roof for a while, basking in the sun and each other's company, holding hands in companionable silence. All the while, Kyo's mind whirled in turmoil.

_I shouldn't tell her…_

_Yes you should…._

_I can't tell her…not yet_

_She deserves to know!_

_I KNOW! ...I know…_

_You can't keep it from her forever…_

_I'll tell her when we're both ready. Some secrets need to stay hidden for a while._

_Some lies don't need to be told to people who always __**do**__ tell the truth._

_Yah, yah, yah…some secrets…some lies._

**End of Chapter 1**

"**Secrets and Lies"**

**Author's Note**: okay…chapter one…have I captured your interest? I hope so. This is my…fifth fan-fic? …so hope it's not completely horrible. I started writing this and then quit it for about three months, then picked it up again earlier this week and finished the chapter. Oh, and this story is going to be mainly drama and romance (my favorites!). So I hope you enjoyed! Review please, and I really hope you come back to read the next chapter!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	3. Chapter 2: Wishing Star

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**CHAPTER 2: ****Wishing Star**

_But look, friend,_

_See the stars?_

_Count them_

_Keep them_

_Cherish them_

_Remember them_

_Don't forget the stars_

-**Don't Forget the Stars**

_By: Jasmin Kolu Zazaboi_

"Miss Honda?" Yuki called through cupped hands. Where was she? It was getting late. She should be in the kitchen fixing dinner. And that idiot cat was missing too. _Stupid cat_. Yuki forcefully pushed the thoughts that were all ready creeping into his mind. "Miss Honda…" His only reply was the not quite silence that emanated from the woods surrounding the home. He was getting frustrated now. "Miss Honda, where are you? It's almost time for dinner." He called. He was starting to get worried. Not just about Tohru, but the cat. It wasn't that he was worried about the cat. But it was the thought of her with the cat that worried him…

"Miss Honda?" Tohru peeked open an eye. Her face felt flushed and hot. She heard the call again: it sounded far away. "Miss Honda…" She now opened both eyes. She looked over to see Kyo asleep next to her. They were lying on the black shingles of the roof, the sun beating down on them while they slept. "Miss Honda, where are you? It's almost time for dinner." She heard Yuki call from the ground. She shook her head to clear the fog. Her hand felt all sweaty and hot. She looked over. It was still clasped in Kyo's, who still slept under the late afternoon sun. "Miss Honda!" Yuki shouted with a little more force.

"Yuki-kun! We're up here!" She called letting go of Kyo's hand. It felt strangely cold without his hand around hers. She crawled to the edge of the roof and peeked over the side, carefully gripping the edges to make sure she didn't fall. Yuki, who had been facing the other way, swung around, and tilted his head up as a smile lit up his face.

"Oh, there you are, Miss Honda. I was starting to get worried." He said, watching her.

"Yes, I apologize. The sun just felt so nice up here, we accidentally fell asleep." She said, feeling her cheeks burn slightly.

"We?" Yuki asked, dreading the answer.

"Kyo-kun and I." Yuki was glad for the distance between them so she wouldn't see his face fall. She and Kyo were up on the roof again. She and Kyo. "But I really should start to get dinner going. I'll come down right away." She said, inching on hands and knees over to the ladder to climb down.

Suddenly, Kyo's sleepy face appeared over the edge of the roof. In a 'not quite woken up' voice he half-heartedly said:

"What the hell is going on? What time is it?"

"We fell asleep up on the roof, Kyo-kun. It's almost four." Tohru answered. Kyo put a hand to his head. Was it really almost four? Wow. They'd been up on the roof since two. Two hours alone with Tohru.

"Stupid cat. You lost track of time." Yuki smirked from the ground.

"Shut up, you damn rat!" Kyo shouted, standing up a bit too fast on the slanted roof. Kyo lost his balance and toppled onto Tohru with a POOF! and a cloud of orange smoke.

"Damn…"

"I-I'm sorry!" Tohru stuttered, apologizing, her cheeks growing red for no apparent reason. This was the second time she'd caused him to transform today. Not that he really minded. Not that he allowed himself to think this, though.

"Stupid cat. Can't even keep your balance. And you call yourself a martial artist." Yuki scolded from the ground below.

"Shut up, damn rat!" In the form of a cat, Kyo charged to the edge of the roof and launched himself into the air.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted.

"Don't worry," Yuki assured. "Cats always land on their feet…" Kyo flew through the air at Yuki, who stepped aside a spilt second before Kyo hit the bushes hard with an ungraceful belly-flop of a landing. Yuki finished: "Well, most of them anyway."

"Shut. Up!" Kyo said through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Kyo! Are you all right?!" Tohru exclaimed, running towards them, having sped down the ladder.

"I'm more worried about the bushes," Yuki commented, sighing at the squashed and dented bushes in the yard. _I'll have to fix those later too…_ he ran a frustrated hand through his silver hair. _Stupid cat…_

"Kyo-kun?" Kyo pulled the towel from off his head, having finished drying his hair. "Are you sure you're okay?" Tohru walked in, sitting down on the edge of the bed, near him.

"I'm sure," he confirmed, looking out the window, only the slightest bit embarrassed about being only half dressed. But then again, she'd seen more of him than this, so it really was no big deal.

After he'd transformed back, Tohru had fretted and fretted over him like a sickly child. He'd finally been able to convince her he was well enough to at least go upstairs and take a shower.

She was studying him, when he looked back at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" he said. He shook her head slightly, looking like she'd just snapped back from daydreaming and said:

"You have a piece of hair in your eye…" she said quietly, reaching out to push the wet strand of blazing orange hair out of his watchful, crimson eye. When her finger touched the side of his eye, his skin tingled slightly, and he unconsciously closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, to find her fingers still resting on his forehead.

He looked at her for a moment, and then she drew back her hand, her face glowing with the slightest hint of a blush, before offering the weak excuse of:

"W-well…at least you don't have a fever…?" She looked down. Kyo smiled a bit, and bopped her on the head.

"Why would I have a fever, idiot? Now you go downstairs, let me get dressed, and then we'll have dinner." The information seemed to deliver with a slight delay. She nodded after a moment, and then seemed to notice for the first time that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes lingered on his bare chest for a moment, before she turned away, blushing a deeper red then before.

"Okay. I'll see you in a little while then." And with that, she quickly left the room. He heard her footsteps speeding down the stairs. He sighed, closed his eyes, and thought:

_Three…two…one…_

"AHH!" the shout was followed by a CRASH! BANG! and a worried voice:

"Ms. Honda, are you all right?" Her reply sounded embarrassed and distracted, as if the reason she fell in the first place was that she had something else on her mind.

"I-I'm okay. Just…uh…clumsy me!" He could almost see her little 'clumsy me' smile. _Distracted, huh?_ He thought, and looked down at his bare torso. _No…it couldn't …but maybe…no…_ Kyo shook his head and walked over to his dresser to find something to wear.

Tohru lay in her bed later that night, drifting between the worlds of conscious and unconscious. From time to time an orange cat slipped into her mind's eye, playfully chasing a small grey mouse across the yard. Other times it was a dripping strand of blazing orange hair in front of a deep crimson eye. She pulled her blankets up to her chin and nestled deeper into her downy blanket. So soft. Like orange fur…

Kyo pulled his shirt up over his head, and threw it into the laundry basket in a corner of his room. He climbed into his bed, and lay sprawled out on it facing the open window. His gaze traveled up, up, up into the heavens to the stars above. Glittering. Winking at him. Hinting of something better. Whispering of unspoken hope. Something sounded in the back of his mind. A soft, muffled tune…like a music box in a dusty attic.

_How do the words go?_ He thought _Oh yeah…_

The music box opened:

_Twinkle, Twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are_

_Up above the world so high_

_Like a diamond in the sky_

_Twinkle, Twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are_

_Yeah,_ he thought, his eye lids dipping sleepily, _Please keep twinkling…little star…_

**End of Chapter 2**

"**Wishing Star"**

**A/n:** Geez, it took me a while to finish _that_ chapter! Huh! I actually debated about the title of this chapter while I was writing it. First it was: _All I Ever Needed_. Then it became _Wishing Star_. But I still like to first one, so if I use it on another chapter in the future, don't be surprised. All right! See you next chapter! See you then!

**A/n from a month later :** I have finally decided to name my story! (2 chapters into it) anyway. Huh, funny. I liked the first title so much; it ended up becoming the title of the entire story…

Anyway! Enjoy the next chapter of All I Ever Needed!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	4. Chapter 3: Fills With Rain

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 3: ****As the Dish Outside the Window Fills with Rain**

"_so put a candle in the window_

_and a kiss upon his lips_

_as the dish outside the window fills with rain"_

-**Time** _By: Tom Waits_

Shaaaaaaaa. The rain poured down onto Tohru as she ran along the trail, doubled over, trying to protect her groceries from the rain. Icy cold rain water flew up onto her bare leg and hem of her skirt as she accidentally splashed her way through a puddle. Her hand kept frequently returning to brush the dripping strands of dark brown hair out of her eyes. Not that it made a difference when she couldn't even see through the rain in the first place.

She really should have accepted Yuki's offer to carry her things, but…what could she do now? And she should've also seen the tell-tale sign that it was going to rain. Kyo had been wandering around the house this morning in an irritable manner: like a dark specter floating around the corner.

"_You know how I get on days like this…"_ had been his only explanation for the gloomy mood. _Poor Kyo-kun,_ she thought, as she fought her way through the driving rain.

Tohru freed up a hand from her grocery bag and coughed into it. She was starting to feel a bit feverish and weak. She really hoped she wasn't getting a cold. There was so much still to do! She coughed again, this one so violent that it wracked her entire body, almost causing her to lose grip of the bag. She stumbled through the rain, half blinded by the stubborn wet strands of hair dripping down into her eyes and the rain drops splashing into them.

The wind had picked up and now the rain was lashing slantedly against her, as she thought, _I'd better find somewhere to wait the storm out. I'm still a long way from home, _and squinted desperately through the sheet of rain before her. Nothing but trees, which only offered meager protection from the rain, the leaves that actually blocked a couple drops of rain, still were blown by the wind, so the water made it down onto Tohru eventually. She groaned. This was going to be that longest walk home she could remember.

_As long as it doesn't start hailing I'll be fine, _she half promised her self. _Things always have to get worse before they get better…_ _There's a silver lining to every thing…Things can only go uphill from here..._The phrases her mother had said numerous times in her childhood ran through her mind like a slideshow: flicking from slide to slide; quote to quote, and then repeating over and over again. And then the one that struck her the most in the heart flicked through her mind: _Tohru, believe in people. Doubting is easy—anyone can do it. Tohru…be someone who can believe. I'm sure that will be your strength…_

Tohru shut her eyes for a moment, trying to keep her face wet with only one kind of liquid. _It's just rain,_ she thought, _nothing to get worked up about!_ She kept running, despite her feet and ankles soaked through to the bone and numb with icy rain water and mud. Tohru sneezed into her shoulder as she ran. She felt her cheeks and forehead burning, but thought nothing of it. She felt her legs cramping up with running and cold, but she pressed on, having been taught never to give up.

"_You don't have to push yourself so hard you know. Just do things at your own pace. Just be yourself. You'll be fine."_

"Mom?" Tohru looked around. Had someone actually said that? Or was she just imagining things. She looked around through the dark trees, obscured by a sheet of silvery water that cut through the air like shards of glass. A flicker of red to the left, a shadow of grey to the right, a blur of orange in the corner of her eyes.

Tohru blinked hard. What was going on? She squinted as she pushed on, forcing her sore legs to keep moving. She could almost hear them screaming out in protest. Her eyelids drooped with weariness, her grip on the grocery bag slackened, and she started to drag her feet.

"_Tohru…Tohru…Oh, you've got a fever again…You know, you don't have to push yourself so hard…"_

"Fever…?" she murmured to herself, her eyes only half way open. She shook her head as if that would clear the daze that was settling on her mind. Suddenly tears started leaking out of her eyes and began to stream down her face. Whether it was out of grief for her mother, or weariness, or just sheer frustration that she couldn't keep going, she didn't know.

"I promised myself…" she muttered through clenched teeth and hot tears. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry…"

"_It's okay to be selfish once in a while. It's okay to let yourself be sad…"_

"Kyo-kun?" She said, barely audible above the loud whisper of the rain.

"_Even though it may not seem like it, I'm handling Tohru with closer care than I've given anyone else before…"_

She didn't remember Shigure ever saying that.

"_Ms. Honda isn't one to see her life as a glass half empty…"_

When had Yuki said that? Such a kind thing to say.

_I guess they really care about me…Oh, Mom._ She squeezed her eyes shut. _There's no one more lucky than me._

Tohru smiled at that last thought but was out even before she hit the mud covered ground, the contents of her grocery bag rolling away into the rainy darkness.

Pata pata pata. The rain drilled on the windows and roof of the house like a drum line. Yuki pulled back the curtain for the fifth time that day, trying to peer out into the night as if, if he stared at it long enough, it would spit Tohru out of the darkness.

"I'm worried about her," he whispered softly, letting the curtain drop back over the window. Yuki looked over his shoulder, across the room, where Kyo paced nervously, weariness reading on his face. When Yuki said this, Kyo looked over at him and gave him an "I'd kick you if it wasn't raining" glare.

Yuki sighed and turned back to the window, brushing the curtain aside once more to see out the window streaked with tiny rivulets of rain. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, broken only by the pata pata pata of the rain on the roof until:

"Tohru-kun, my lovely flower, I was thinking—" Shigure looked up at his surroundings. He blinked for a minute, staring at the two boys, then said, his posture drooping a bit like a sad puppy-dog, "She's not back yet, is she…?"

"No." was Yuki's short reply. Shigure was surprised Yuki had such composure to keep almost all emption out of his voice. Almost.

"That idiot!" Kyo muttered from the corner. "She probably got lost in the store and starved to death, the stupid space cadet!"

"Calm down, Kyo-kun," Shigure said, his voice low and calming, trying not to provoke Kyo in his delicate stage. "I'm sure she's fine. She probably found somewhere to wait out the storm. She may even still be safe in the store! I'm positive that our beloved Tohru is no worse for the wear!"

"But Shigure," Yuki said quietly, still staring out the dark window, "What if she isn't?" Both heads turned in his direction. "What if she needs us?" Kyo's eyes grew wide.

"Yuki-kun, I'm really sure that- " Shigure's reassurances were cut off suddenly as Kyo stood up.

"I'm going out to look for her."

"Kyo-kun! That's crazy! You know how you get in the rain! If she's not waiting out the storm somewhere, she could be _anywhere_! And like I said, she could still be safe in the store-"

"I don't care. I don't want to take that chance." He walked quickly to the entry hall to get his raincoat.

"Yuki-kun!" Shigure exclaimed, turning to Yuki for help, "Please try and talk some sense into foolish old Kyo! When he's like this he does irrational things on sudden impulses! Try to talk to him!" Yuki remained in his seat at the window, eyes dark and deep as they stared past the rain streaming down the glass.

"No. If Kyo wants to do this, you'd better let him. You know as well as me he has more than the impulsive behavior the rain makes him have as a reason." Yuki finally tore his eyes away from the window and gave Shigure a sideways glance. Shigure looked diagonally at the ceiling and sighed.

"You're always right, and it's so annoying." And with that he walked back into his office as if he had not a care in the world.

Yuki walked out into the entry hall where Kyo, with his raincoat already on, was sitting on the floor pulling on his boots. Yuki leaned a shoulder on the doorframe and waited for Kyo to look up. When Kyo finally sensed someone watching him, he looked up with a start and spat in his foul mood:

"What do you want, Rat?" Yuki closed his eyes for a minute and then said quietly.

"Kyo…Bring her home."

For a moment, Kyo was silent, but then just averted his eyes and gave a quick jerk of a nod, before lacing up the last of his boots and running out the door, the door creaking shut as Kyo disappeared into the driving rain. Yuki sighed and returned to the living room.

At that moment, the lights in the Sohma household winked on, and off, and on and off, and…stayed off.

_Oh, great, we've lost power!_ Yuki thought. He turned to look at Shigure's office, but no complaint came from the slightly open door. _Must be sleeping,_ Yuki thought passively, as he felt his way to the dinning room, and fumbled with the drawer handle. He knew there were candles and a lighter here somewhere. Ah! Here they were!

Yuki quickly lit a few candles and placed them all separate rooms that he would be using throughout the night, until he only had one left in his hands. He took that candle and carried it back his place by the window.

Outside the window seemed darker now that there was no light on either side of the glass. Yuki placed the candle on the window sill and pressed his hand against the cold glass, feeling the icy shock travel through his hand and wrist. He shuddered at the thought of being outside right now. He almost couldn't look out the window, but he forced himself to.

Yuki looked out the window, out past the reflection of the lone burning candle, out past the icy glass, past the tracks of water making there way down it, out into the shadowy wood beyond, trying not imagine what kind of things could befall Tohru out there. Then he whispered a sort of prayer:

"Please come home safely, Ms. Honda." as the rain continued to drive down in silver sheets past the lone candle in the window.

**End of Chapter 3:**

"**As the Dish Outside the Window Fills With Rain"**

**A/n:** This chapter was by far my favorite so far to write. You know, I have a very fickle mind when I comes to titles. I changed this one too! At first, the chapter title was Taste the Rain but then I read that quote up at the beginning of the chapter there, and a little light bulb flicked on, and I was like: That would be a GREAT title for this chapter! I actually was mowing the lawn when I thought of it, so I just ran in, abandoning the tractor, so I could rename the chapter. (And I said Kyo was impulsive! TT)

Anyway. I hope my efforts are paying off and that you are enjoying the story so far, and I hope you'll join me next chapter!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	5. Chapter 4: It's Dark, and I'm Sorry

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 4: ****It's Dark, It's Dark, and I'm Sorry**

""_--it hurts, Haru, please—"_

_He closed his eyes and tried to focus only on the present_

_"It's dark, it's dark, and I'm sorry...""_

_-_**History, Like Love**

_Chapter 6: __In the Darkness of November_

_By: Ysabet MacFarlane_

"Have you considered adoption as an option, Ms…uh…?" The man trailed off as he picked up the clipboard that was resting on the desk. The strawberry-blonde haired tough looking woman reached across the desk, and snapped the clipboard back down to the desk.

"My parents don't want me havin' their name and I don't want it. My name's Kyoko, and that's it." She gave the man an icy glare.

"Okay…Kyoko-san. But have you considered adoption? I mean, no one will think less of you if you chose abortion, but we're just asking you to consider. If you give birth to the child, we can find it a happy home with loving family. If you choose to give your child up for adoption, we promise you, we _will_ make sure that it has a safe, loving home." Kyoko was silent for a moment, staring into space, but was silent for a long time, but then:

"And what if I decide to keep the baby?" The man's eyes sparked, but then dimmed down, as if trying to shove down his enthusiasm. Kyoko caught it. _They don't care at all._

"That would be another choice, Kyoko-san."

"I was just testing," she said, and the man's face fell. _They just want to get rid of me, so they don't have to deal with the kid._ "I don't remember who the father was. Wasn't in my gang anyway,"

"Gang…?" the man whispered. Kyoko waved it away.

"But it was a mistake, anyhow, and frankly I really don't want a kid at this point in my life."

"We understand completely." The man said, readjusting his glasses, as if straightening out his affairs in his head. Then the man looked her straight in the eye. "Are you sure you want to have an abortion?" Kyoko thought. They'd give the kid a nice home, with loving parents (something she'd never had). They'd make sure it got an education, and a good life. If she aborted it, it would be over. Kyoko sighed and answered:

"I've decided." The man seemed to lean in to hear her conclusion. "I've decided to give it up, so it can have the chance at a good life I never got." The man nodded.

"I have to say, that's the best choice someone in your circumstances could have made. Though we will need your parent's signatures, since you are a minor…"She gritted her teeth, and the man sighed. "They don't know yet, do they?"

"And I don't intend them to know. Please? Is there someway around it where I don't have to tell them? They already hate me as it is." The man sighed again.

"No, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that. You'll have to tell them." Kyoko sighed.

"I'll just have to deal with it then."

"All right." The man thrust some papers at her, and asked her to sign, and she did as he explained everything to her.

So_meone in my circumstances…_ Kyoko gritted her teeth. _Everyone always looks down on me. This guy, my parents, teachers, everyone! And I'm sick and tired of it!_ _If I didn't care about the kid, I wouldn't be here at all. I'm only here for my child._ Kyoko looked up and the man and he gave her a questioning glance. _My child…_

Kyoko shook her head. _It's my child, but it's going to grow up with someone else who can take care of it properly._

"Can I go see it someday?" The man looked up at her in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Can I go to visit it someday when it's older?" The man looked down and readjusted his glasses once more.

"We can arrange to have the parents contact you in a number of years, yes. That is, if they are willing, and your child is also willing to meet you." Kyoko glanced over at the small window. She was sixteen. Was giving a kid up for adoption. Providing what the world thought of her already, they would just use this as another reason to look down on her. Everyone except Sensei. Honda was his name. Though she wasn't about to tell him. This would be her secret to keep for the rest of her life.

"Kyoko-san?" Kyoko snapped back.

"Uh, yes?"

"You do get to name the child if you'd like." The man said.

"…name?" She repeated, dazed.

"Yes, the new parents may change it if they choose to, but you can still name it, and there is a chance that the new parents will keep the name you've chosen. So I suppose, given how far along you are…" he paused, his eye flicking to her stomach, the roundness almost concealed by the _very_ baggy shirt she was wearing, then back up to her face, "…you might want to start thinking about it."

Kyoko stood up from the chair.

"Is that all?" she asked

"For today," the man answered. "And again, I do say that you've made a very wise choice for you child's future." Kyoko nodded, shook hands with the man, and walked out of his office.

_My child's future…_

A child's cry pierced the midnight air of the hospital room.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kyoko, ma'am!" One of the nurses exclaimed in a tired, but enthusiastic voice. "You'd given birth to beautiful, healthy baby boy!"

"What does he look like?" Kyoko rasped, her throat very dry.

"Brown hair, blue eyes and a little button nose. Oh, he's so cute!"

"Can I hold him?" Kyoko whispered exhaustedly.

"Of course." The nurse said excitedly, and handed Kyoko the baby wrapped in soft white blankets. When Kyoko took it, the baby stopped crying immediately. She pulled the blankets away from the baby's head and looked into the face, and whispered to him:

"You just came into the world and I already love you. I sorry you won't get to know me that much, but I'll come visit you someday when you're older, and I'll love you every day until then and from then on and for the rest of my life."

"Ms. Kyoko, ma'am?" The nurse said, stepping tentatively forward. Kyoko looked up at her and nodded with an expression that said, "Yes?".

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Kyoko looked down at her baby, and then looked back up at the nurse.

"Yes. His name will be Kunimitsu."

"Tohru!" Kyo shouted out into the rainy darkness. He'd been out there for an hour, and still no trace of her. "Tohru! Where are you?!" Despair started to fill him to the core when the worst case scenario resurfaced for the third time, before he smashed it down deep inside him once more. _That can't happen,_ he thought, _it won't!_ _It can't happen! I haven't told her yet! I haven't told her anything! It can't happen when she still doesn't know…_

His mind raced, matching the speed of his legs as they sped desperately through the murky woods. A tree branch shot out of no where and scratched his cheek. He ignored the instant stinging pain as he pressed on.

_I have to find her, and tell her everything. I promise!_ He prayed his bargain. _If I find her, and she's okay, I promise I'll tell her everything._

"I promise!" he whispered harshly to the shady tree shapes that whipped past as he ran. "I promise I'll tell her everything!"

The he raced past the trees, scanning the landscape ahead of him and beside him, for any trace of a human.

"Tohru!" he shouted, and then had to stop, placing his hands on his knees for support and breathing heavily. "Tohru…please…" he whispered to the trees "please be okay…"

"Mom…" Tohru wandered around the pitch black void she was in, her mother's voice echoing around her. "Mom, where are you?" She would catch a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye, but when she would turn to see what it was, it would disappear entirely.

_Am I dreaming?_ The thought had crossed her mind twice, but she'd ignored it, the drive to find her mother in the darkness stronger than common sense right now.

"Mom?" Tohru called.

_"She's gone, Tohru…"_ an undistinguishable voice whispered.

"No!" Tohru cried. "It can't be! She was just here a minute ago!"

_"I- I want to go see him. I wanna go see Katsuya…"_

"No! Don't say such things. Don't go away like Dad… Don't give up. Please…don't leave…I still need you…I still- I still-"

_"No matter what, I'll always love you, Tohru…"_

"I still love you, Mom, and it hurts!"

"Mom!" A voice echoed through the trees. "Mom, where are you?"

"Tohru?" Kyo barely allowed the word to escape his lips. "Tohru?" his voice rose a bit.

"No! It can't be, she was just here a minute ago!"

"Tohru!" Kyo said, following her voice up the trail. Crunch! Kyo looked down, and saw he had stepped on some sort of thing in a package. He couldn't tell what, the wrapper was too covered in mud. He looked up the trail, and saw all manner of groceries scattered through the mud. He ran.

"No! Don't say such things. Don't go away like Dad…"

There she was. Lying in the mud, soak through to the bone.

"Tohru!!" Kyo cried and ran to her side, and grabbed her hand. She was as cold as ice. He placed a hand on the back of her neck, trying to warm her up without actually embracing her. He would be no help to her then.

"Don't give up. Please…don't leave…I still need you…I still- I still-"

Despite the rain, the mud, and the tracks of water that were undoubtedly tears not rain, she was still as beautiful as ever, but her face was pinched in an expression of pain.

"I still love you, Mom, and it hurts!" The cry startled Kyo, as Tohru broke down into sobs, her whole body shaking tiredly. Kyo could feel her muscles quivering. She'd pushed herself to the brink of exhaustion. He placed a hand on her forehead, and then jerked it away as if he had been bitten. In extraordinary contrast to the rest of her body, her forehead was burning up. She had a serious fever!

"Tohru," he said, straightening up a bit, and looking around into the shadowy trees. "It's gonna be all right," He pulled her closer, but not close enough to set off the curse. "It's gonna be all right."

"I'm so cold…" she sobbed almost inaudibly.

"I know…" Kyo rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "I know, just hold on."

"It's dark…It's so dark…" she said, her eyebrows furrowing as another round of tears sped down her cheeks. Kyo wiped her eyes as best he could, after pushing the dripping strands of hair from her face.

"Shh…I know…" he repeated before stroking her cheeks; burning with fever, the only comfort he could give her now.

"It's dark, it's dark, and I'm sorry…"

**End of Chapter 4:**

"**It's Dark, It's Dark, and I'm Sorry"**

**A/n:** Okay, revise that. _This_ was the most fun to write so far! they get better and better as I get further into the story! Again with the title swapping. But I'm not going to tell you the alternate titles this time, because I'm going to use them later in the story, so you'll just have to guess. anyway. I hope you're enjoying yourself. This story has given me writing fever! I wrote the last half of chapter three yesterday, and I wrote this entire chapter today! (Wooow …I need to get a life!) …but anyway. The main plot of the story is starting to come out, and we're getting into the meat of the story. So join me next chapter! Bye!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	6. Chapter 5: Reflected in Shards of Glass

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 5: ****Reflected in Shards of Glass**

_"I don't want the world to see me_

'_Cuz I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am.__"_

_-_**Iris**_By: The Goo-Goo Dolls_

"Kazuma-sensei! Kazuma-sensei! Look over here!" The brown haired boy called enthusiastically. Kazuma looked back at him, and he did a punch in the air. "Am I doing it right? Am I? Am I?"

Kazuma smiled, and walked over to the boy and crouched beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Only twelve years old and you're already so much more advanced than your class! Kunimitsu Tomodo, you amaze me sometimes." The pre-teen smiled broadly at the words and proceeded to demonstrate a half-polished series of kicks and punches that were well beyond his years.

"I'm still working on these." Kunimitsu said, his brow furrowed with concentration as he hesitated and stumbled on most of the moves.

"You're doing a great job." Kazuma assured. "Just don't raise you leg so high on that second kick. You wouldn't want to fall over." Kunimitsu thought for a moment.

"You're right! Thanks, Kazuma-sensei!" Kazuma ruffled the boy's hair.

"You know, someday you should come be my personal assistant or something. You could spend a lot more time at the dojo, and-"

"Shishou?" A little red haired boy poked his head around the corner.

"Ah, Kunimitsu, I don't believe you've met my adoptive son Kyo. He just moved in a couple weeks ago." Kunimitsu looked at boy over.

By his strange bright orange hair and unusual crimson colored eyes, it was apparent he wasn't blood related to Kazuma-sensei. But this "Kyo" was a very handsome boy none the less, and looked kind, even if a bit shy. He walked over and held out his hand.

"Hi, Kyo. I'm Kunimitsu; it's nice to meet you. I'm adopted too, so I guess we have something in common." He smiled as Kyo shyly took his hand and shook it.

"Kazuma-sensei!" An older student called to the man. "There's a lady at the front door who wants to speak with you!" Kazuma turned back to the boys and said:

"I'm sure you boys have much to talk about. I have something I need to deal with, so if you would like, you two can play together while I go tend to something." He looked over to Kunimitsu. "And Kunimitsu, Kyo has taken an interest in martial arts. If you don't mind, you might teach him a few basics?" Kunimitsu smiled, his bright blue eyes sparkling.

"Can-do, Kazuma-sensei!"

"Kazuma-sensei!" The older boy called again.

"I'm coming!" Kazuma called back, as he got up from his kneel, and smiled at the two boys and caught up with one of his older students. "So, who wants to speak to me and what about."

"I don't know," replied the boy, shaking his head, "She just asked to speak to you."

"All right." The boy led Kazuma into the living room of the house, where a strawberry-blonde woman sat, looking curiously around the room. "Ms…uh…" The woman looked up in surprise, and got up out of her seat.

"Oh, hello. I'm Kyoko Honda. Thank you for taking time to speak to me, Kazuma-san? Can I call you that?" Kazuma smiled.

"That will be fine." Kazuma motioned back to the chair, "Sit down, please."

"Thank you," Kyoko said. Once they were both settled, facing each other, Kazuma said

"So, what was it you wanted to see me about." Kyoko looked at him.

"I'm here about a boy named Kunimitsu Tomodo…I think that's his last name. I already contacted his parents, but they said he was staying here for the next three days."

"You are correct," Kazuma replied.

"Well, you see." Kyoko let out a breath. "I am Kunimitsu's birth mother, and I wish to speak to him. His parents said it would be all right with them if he was okay with it." Kazuma's eyebrows lifted in surprise. This woman looked nothing like Kunimitsu. It must all be from the father's side.

"Well, he is outside, talking with _my_ son, so I could go check." Kyoko's eyes sparkled as Kazuma got up and led her outside.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Wait here." Kazuma halted her in the doorway of the porch leading out to face to dojo area. Kazuma walked out to the two boys.

"Right straight!" Kyo squeaked as his arm shot out but barely made any impact on Kunimitsu.

"Almost!" the older boy said, moving to help him, "But you've gotta move your arm like _this_ when you punch, and move you legs and the rest of your body _together_ forward. That way, you can put your whole body's force into the punch- Oh, Kazuma-sensei! Who was it?"  
"Um, Kunimitsu. Could I talk to you for a moment, excuse us, Kyo." He led Kunimitsu aside. "Kunimitsu, the reason I was pulled aside just now is that there was a woman that came to talk to me. Her name is Kyoko Honda-san. She-" Kazuma faltered for a moment before continuing. "She is your birth mother." Kunimitsu's eyes widened.

"My birth mother? You mean my real one?"

"Yes and she wants to speak to you very much, would that be okay?"

"Yes! I want to talk to her too!"

"All right then." Kazuma stood up, and motioned to the lady standing in the doorway to come over. Kunimitsu looked at her. They didn't look at all alike, but she was indeed very pretty, and her eyes showed she had a strong will and spirit.

"Hello." His voice was soft, not sure what to make of her, but so far, he was pleased.

"Hello, Kunimitsu. My name is Kyoko Honda. I am you birth mother, as Kazuma has undoubtedly told you."

"Yes."

"So…you like martial arts?"

"Yes! Very much! And Kazuma-sensei is the best teacher anyone could have!" Kunimitsu smiled a board smile showing a row of pearly white teeth. "I- um…"

"Yes?" Kyoko prompted.

"Uh…are you married now?"

"Yes, to a wonderful man named Katsuya. He's used to be a teacher, but now he does pharmaceutical things. He's away on a business trip as we speak." Kunimitsu smiled.

"And uh…"

"Go on." Kazuma encouraged.

"I really want to know…do I have any siblings?" Kyoko's face transformed as she smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes. You have one younger sister. Her name is Tohru."

"Tohru. Isn't that a boy's name?"

"Usually yes, but Katsuya says it brings out a hidden flavor in her."

"Flavor…" Kunimitsu was confused.

"Like how you add salt to something sweet to make it better. Katsuya wants Tohru to be that kinda girl." Kunimitsu was ecstatic.

"What does she look like?!"

"Well, sort of like you, I guess. She has dark brown hair, and blue eyes. Not quite as electric blue as yours but, oh she's sooo cute! It just makes you want to hug her!" The boy was practically bouncing up and down.

"I- I have a sister! I have baby sister!"

"Is there anything you'd like to ask me, Kunimitsu?" Kyoko asked.

"Um…I thought about what I would say if I ever met my real mother, and I've been wanting to ask you…" his face fell a bit, "why did you give me up?" Kyoko looked into his eyes with melancholy expression.

"I was sixteen when I became pregnant with you, Kunimitsu. I was into all sorts of bad things back then. I was doing drugs, I was in a gang…it was a really bad life, and I just couldn't handle a child. At first, I was sure I wanted to have an abortion. Then you would have never been born." A look of horror flashed across Kunimitsu's face, before Kyoko continued.

"But when I thought about it, I decided I wanted to give you the life I never got a chance to have. To have a chance to grow up in a loving family and when the sun comes up, be happy that there's a new day ahead of you. I just wanted what was best for my first child."

Kunimitsu suddenly raced up and hugged Kyoko tightly, tears burning in his eyes.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom, for everything. My life right now is so happy. My adoptive mom and dad are really nice people, and they really love me. And I have lots of friends at school, and I get to do martial arts at the dojo with Kazuma-sensei. I love my life! Thank you so much for giving it to me." Kyoko squeezed him back.

"Don't thank me for it. I'm just glad you're happy, and that I made the right choice in giving you up." She pulled back to look at him, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his face. "You are such a beautiful, wonderful boy. I'm so glad I gave birth to you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." They held each other for a long time, before Kyoko sighed and said.

"I should probably go. Tohru will be getting worried, she's only six you know…" she paused, "About the same age as that red haired boy over there." Kyo looked up, and shyly waved at her. Something in his eyes caught her attention. It was like looking into a heart that had just recently been stitched up. Kyoko shook her head. "Anyway, I'd better get going so I can start to make dinner." Kunimitsu hugged her one more time.

"Come visit me again sometime, will you?" Kyoko smiled.

"Of course."

"And say hello to Tohru for me." Kyoko nodded. And as she started to walk away, she heard the call of a little boy and stopped, smiled, then continued on.

"Be safe, Mom!"

When Kyoko creaked open the door to her apartment, the lights were still on, but Tohru was asleep at the kotatsu. Kyoko picked her up gently, and carried her into the bedroom, careful not to wake her. Then the phone rang, and she scurried to get it.

"Katsuya! You're business trip's almost over right?"

"Yes," the reply come over the phone.

"Do you still have that cold? See a doctor already!" Kyoko demanded.

"I don't have time."

"That's no excuse! I know you're busy, but you're making me worry. I'm coming over there."

"I'm fine. Don't catch my cold and pass it on to Tohru. I'll be leaving tomorrow." Katsuya laughed statically over the phone

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. How is Tohru, by the way?"

"She's fine," Kyoko said glancing over to the open door of the bedroom. "She's asleep in bed right now."

"All right," Katsuya wheezed, then Kyoko heard him clear his throat, then repeat more clearly. "All right. But, I've been thinking. Do you think it's time to make her a sibling?"

At this, Kyoko flinched involuntarily. True to her promise to herself those many years ago, she had still not told Katsuya that Tohru was not her first child. Kyoko laughed to cover up the brief silence.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

"Wow…he he."

"I'll call you again when I get back."

"Okay. Bundle up and get some sleep. And go to the doctor!" Kyoko emphasized. She heard Katsuya sigh on the other end, a wheeze underlying it.

"I will. Get some sleep yourself. Good night…Miss No-Eyebrows." Kyoko smiled at their private nickname, and hung up the phone. She quietly walked over Tohru's sleeping figure, leaned down, and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"Your brother says hello."

**End of Chapter 5: **

"**Reflected in Shards of Glass"**

**A/n:** More title switching! Yay! This was a hardcore flashback chapter, so…yeah. Hope you liked it. And again! Writing fever! Wrote this chapter all in one day! And I'm so proud of myself for being able to draw out a scene like this! And I'm able to make my chapters longer, and longer, and I'm so happy! . Oh! And the phone conversation between Kyoko and Katsuya was straight from vol. 16 of the manga, and it worked out so perfectly, I was ecstatic! All right! Join me next chapter! I promise I'll get back to our heros.

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	7. Chapter 6: Melting Smoke

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 6: ****Melting Smoke**

"_And I would have liked to have known you_

_But I was just a kid_

_Your candle burned out long before_

_Your legend ever did"_

_-_**Candle in the Wind**_Lyrics By: Bernie Taupin_

_**WARNING!!**_CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR VOL. 16, CHAPTERS 90 - 94

"I'm afraid Kunimitsu isn't here today, Kyoko-san." Kyoko smiled a sad little smile.

"Oh. It's my mistake for not checking ahead. I guess I'd better-"

"Shishou?" The same orange haired little boy she had seen on the day she'd visited Kunimitsu the first time, almost three years ago. The little boy with a healing heart.

"Could you wait a minute, Kyo, I'm a bit busy." The little boy had a handful of Kazuma's robe and was peeking his head around Kazuma's legs. Kyoko crouched down to Kyo's level, then, looking up a Kazuma asked;

"And who might this be?"

"Oh, I apologize. This is my adopted son Kyo. He and Kunimitsu have been getting along fairly well." Kazuma smiled kindly. Kyoko looked back at Kyo.

"Is that so?" She asked, a playfully smile quirked up the corners of her mouth. Kyo just stared at her. "Well, I hope he's not giving you too much trouble. I'm afraid restlessness runs in the family." She stood up, brushing off her pants, looking around.

"Shishou…!" Kyo whispered more urgently, tugging at the handful of robe in his fist.

"I'll be right there, Kyo, all right?"

"I was wondering…" Kyoko said. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble…could I possibly look around. Maybe if I get an idea of the environment Kunimitsu was spending his time in, I could connect with him a little more." Kazuma nodded.

"That would be no trouble. Of course. You're welcome to look around. My home is your home" Kyoko gave him a little bow.

"Thank you, Kazuma-san."

Kyoko wandered the grounds for a while, watching the spars between all ages and levels of students. A group of teenage students were warming up with some kata, moving into the different positions together like an eerily synchronized school of fish. She watched them for some time; their hypnotizing movements a blessed distraction from the world.

Tohru was nine, almost ten, and Katsuya had been dead for almost three years now. Kyoko wandered over to a low wall, which came up to about her waist line, and half sat, half leaned on the wall, her head turned up towards the sky.

"Um, Ms?"

"Hm?" Kyoko jumped a bit. There, standing a little ways down, was the little red haired boy she'd seen. Kyo.

"Why are you here to see Kunimitsu?" he asked, scooting sideways across the wall, and finally settling about two feet from her, his tiny legs dangling over the ledge.

"I'm his birth mother."

Kyoko saw Kyo flinch a bit, but thought nothing of it.

"Um, could I ask you something?" Kyo said, drawing his legs up to his chest, his eyes fixed on a tuft of grass.

"Shoot."

"Well, you see. I don't have a birth mother. All the papers say she died in an "accident"." The way he said the word made her keep silent so he could continue. "But everyone who brings it up while they think I'm not listening says they're sure it was suicide. My father, my real one, Shishou is the greatest. But my biological father, he lost it after a couple days, and he screamed and yelled at me. "It's you fault! It's your fault! It's all your fault your mother's dead! You killed my wife, you monster!""

Kyo was silent for a moment, as he seemed to fight back tears.

"And it's really painful and all, having your mother's death blamed on you. But I don't think I could handle them saying, "she just couldn't handle life anymore". It would be like when no one's blaming you, but you know you did something wrong. I know…being…who I am…caused a lot of problems for Mom, but I don't want them to blame me for her death, and at the same time, I don't want them to take all the blame away."

He looked up at her, and she gave him a sideways glance.

"Y'know. I wanted them to blame me too." He looked at her questioningly, and she continued her story. "Before middle school, I was already out of control. I fell in with the "bad kids" and spent my days doing "bad things". Some people cried or begged," she sighed, "But I still beat people senseless. Or they beat me.

"Parents. Well, I had them. But I came from a cold household." She gave Kyo a bitter smile. "Dad never thought of the family, and Mom only cared about her husband and her image. We never went out as a family, and we rarely even ate together. I can't remember even being held."

She told him of the heated confrontation between her mother and father.

"It was like my body was made of broken glass. I couldn't trust anyone. Not my parents, not my friends…" she sighed. "I only hurt them." She looked over at Kyo, who was watching her, his chin on his knees, watching her intently.

"What happened next?"

"Well, I used to bike at night. I'd stay out really late. Those nights on the road, I felt like laughing, or crying. I felt like I could go anywhere. But at the same time, I couldn't move. In middle school, I barely ever showed. That's why; it really was coincidental that I met him there at all."

She smiled a bit more kindly at Kyo as she told him of how she met Katsuya Honda. Her teacher! He was surprised. She told Kyo of how Katsuya had told her how she really did want people to love her. Kyo looked down into the grass.

"But I knew," she said, and Kyo looked up at her, "I knew I couldn't change." She told him of him hauling her off to get ramen. "At first I thought he was weird. At first anyway. I couldn't tell if he was as gentle as he seemed. He could've been faking the manners. He'd run off with a student he didn't even know. He'd brought her to a restaurant, calm as could be. He was nuts, or at least he acted like it.

"But that day, I only knew one thing for sure. That ramen tasted good!" Kyo almost burst out laughing. "Yes, but they stung at my wounds. But the ramen we ate was good." Kyoko narrowed her eyes and said that with a smile.

"After my first meeting with Katsuya Honda, I started to change."

Katsuya told her about his father, and how he had to take the family business. But he said the influences from his father helped him push boundaries.

"I told him: Whoa! You're like the worst person I know! And you know what he said back?" Kyo shook his head. "Thank you! Can you believe that?" Kyoko shook her head smiling. "He had strong habits, and was fake polite. And also cold in some ways. But that didn't stop me from being attracted to him."

"You're _teacher_?!" Kyo burst out, "It's that like, illegal?!"

"Only if we _did_ anything. Which we didn't, but I'll get to that part later. Now do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" Kyo sighed and nodded. "All right then.

"I started going to school at lot. I never showed up for classes, but I still walked through the door. Katsuya always visited me at lunch. We never talked long, but I looked forward to it."

Kyoko told him of how her gang started to get suspicious. Of how Katsuya Honda told her he was leaving the teaching job at their school. How his father had lost his "edge". She explained how she'd wanted to got to his last lecture, but how there was no place for her there anymore.

And then how he'd taken her to the beach. She'd jumped around, crying: The ocean! The ocean!

"I was like an abandoned cat. He didn't have to care, but he did. And that's when I clicked, and I looked at him and thought: Sensei, I love you."

"So is this gonna be a sick romance story?" Kyo asked speculatively.

"No. We're almost past the romance part, all right? Things have to get worse before they can get better. That's my motto. Anyway. He told me that we could still see each other outside of school. Back then, I didn't know the real reason he came to see me. I was happy but confused. He eventually got a job at a pharmaceutical company. He looked over my schoolwork every weekend." Then Kyoko sighed and murmured, "But then I was punished."

She told of how she'd wanted to leave the gang so badly. To try to change. But they beat her unconscious.

"I remember one of them saying before I blacked out : "You wanna leave the gang that bad? Show us _how_ bad, princess. You're such a moron. You can't fix what's so badly been broken." She sighed. "When I came to, I was in the hospital. Cops and teachers came by. My parents gave some excuse to avoid me. And I couldn't take the high school entrance exams. And amongst all of it, one phrase kept echoing in my head. _You got what you deserved…_"

She told Kyo of how Katsuya had showed up at her doorstep as she was being kicked out, and had told her parents:

"Well, I hope to marry this imperfect girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And then he was explaining how he found me and all, and I shouted "Katsuya!" and that caught his attention. It was the first time I had called him anything but "Sensei." He said he was serious about what he had said. Its okay, I told him, you don't have to go that far for me. You can throw me out now. You did enough, I'm okay."

She explained how he'd told her; it was because she'd cried.

"He said, when you cried and confessed to loneliness, you seemed very human to me. Then he told me he loved me. And he said: if you still can't believe me, I'll say whatever you need to hear. I'll say it as often as you like, but remember I don't like wasting words. And then he-"

"Okay! Eww! Who'd wanna kiss a girl?!"

"You will someday!" Kyoko teased, lightly hitting Kyo on the shoulder. "One day you'll meet a girl you'll want to kiss so much you can't stand it!"

"Will not. Girls are gross. For more than one reason."

"You won't always think that."

"Okay, okay. But I'm, confused. How does Kunimitsu fit into all of this?"

"Oh! He was an accident. When I was still a "bad" girl, this was…mm…right after I'd met Katsuya, I found out I was pregnant. I decided to give the baby up for adoption so he'd have a chance at a good life."

"Okay, that works."

"Anyway. So we got married. It was just us. Nobody celebrated. All the Honda's were against it. Except for one: Katsuya's father. We lived near the ocean and on Katsuya's days off, we would go out together. It didn't matter where we went. We just had to be together. The fact that we were together, was all that mattered."

And then Kyo was told how scared Kyoko was when she found of she was pregnant with Tohru, and would be _raising_ her. She was scared that Tohru might not want her as a mother. She hadn't been scared with Kunimitsu, because he wouldn't get her as a mother anyway. But Katsuya had reassured her that everything would be all right.

Many years later, Kyo would think; _and that was how she was born. The most the most precious thing in the world…Tohru_.

"Time passed quietly and softly. We still went out, smiling, and together. I watched him. When Katsuya held Tohru, his face got so gentle. I loved it so much I wanted to cry. But I was also a bit guilty that I hadn't told Katsuya about Kunimitsu. But I was happy enough to cry, and that feeling stayed with me."

She told him about the last phone conversation they had, the day she'd visited Kunimitsu for the first time. And then how Katsuya had passed away from the illness.

"I wanted them all to blame me for his death. I wanted them to. I wanted them to make me feel something but emptiness and grief. And I was also distraught that he was gone and I hadn't told him. I hadn't told him about my other child. I was so upset. But it was too short** .** Katsuya was cremated. After that, he was smoke and white ash. The whole thing was too short." Kyoko took a deep breath, trying to squash down the resurfacing feelings of that time.

"I don't remember much. From the period right after he died. It was blank. The only thing I knew was constant despair."

She looked Kyo in the eye and told him how the world needs no one. If you die, the world keeps spinning and day and night still come. How, for however brief a moment, she'd wanted to follow Katsuya, and had almost throw herself off a bridge before:

"I remembered Tohru. I ran home as fast as I could, thinking "What the hell was I doing? Being so selfish, when I have someone here at home who loves me and will be here to welcome me home."

"So…?"

"Well, maybe it's true. Maybe the world doesn't need me. But there's still one person who's kind enough to need me. I only need that to live. That's all **I** need to live, y'know?" she told him, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "But I think my parental authority got a liiiiitle dangerous over Tohru. It's a good thing I had Toto-san, Katsuya's father, to help out."

_Parental authority?_ Kyo thought.

"There was a lot to do after that- - like moving. I guess keeping busy cheered me up. In the end, why not? I know Tohru's here for me!" Kyo looked at her.

"Then you don't think about it anymore? Wanting to see Katsuya Honda?" She gave him a bittersweet smile, then looked out at the landscape ahead of her. "I makes me wonder." She said, "How lost you'll all get…how long you'll take. It can be hard to find your own answers."

Kyo was unsure what she meant, but then she continued. "Everyone has to lose their way once. It's the only way to learn." She smiled at him, a knowing smile. "Everyone."

**End of Chapter 6:**

"**Melting Smoke"**

**A/n:** I'm so sorry everyone!! I wrote a scene with Kyo and Tohru in it to put in this chapter, but the Kyoko-Kyo part got too long, so I'm just gonna put it in the next chapter! Again I'm so sorry! TT anyway. This chapter only had **2** titles this time! Hurray! I'm getting better! And the chapters are getting steadily longer. This chapter wasn't as much fun to write as the rest because a lot of it came straight out of the book, and I didn't really get to write much myself. But it had some comic relief in it this time! But anyway. I really do apologize for not getting back to Kyo and Tohru, but if the story flows with it, the writer's gotta go with the flow! So I'm gonna put that scene in next chapter, I promise! (For real this time! TT) okay! See you next chapter!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	8. Chapter 7: Slipping Through My Hands

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 7: ****Slipping Through My Hands**

_"round here we talk like lions but we sacrifice like lambs  
round here she's slipping through my hands"_

_-_**Counting Crows**, "_Round Here_" August and Everything After

"Hold on, hold on, Tohru, please hold on." Kyo pleaded desperately. Most people would never imagine this desperate, almost in tears version of himself that was apparent now, even existed. It was because he was with Tohru, and Tohru was in trouble. She was delirious with fever, he'd decided. At least she was still breathing.

The bargain he'd whispered to the trees earlier whirled around and around in his mind.

_"If I find her, and she's okay. I'll tell her everything. I promise. I promise I'll tell her everything."_

What should he do? Kyo's mind raced rapidly. She would be really hard to carry back to the house, though it could be possible if it came to that. He could run back and tell Yuki and Shigure and get them to help, but there was a chance that he couldn't find his way back to her. And besides, he couldn't …no, he _wouldn't_ leave her alone like this. He gathered her head and shoulders into his arms, and kissed the top of her head.

"Tohru, hang on, please!" Her breathing was slowing continuously, and her heart rate was jumping all over the place. She was getting colder by the second, despite Kyo's raincoat which he had taken off and put onto her. They were both completely covered in mud, and the groceries scattered throughout the nearby woods had long since been forgotten.

Kyo couldn't decide what to do. It was like a never-ending circle of "what if", "what if", "what if". He couldn't stand it. Here he was, Tohru in serious danger, and he was just sitting next to her, telling her to hold on while he did nothing about it.

Tohru's breathing slowed down another notch, so that he could barely hear her breath above the rain. Kyo felt her pulse and it was beating like crazy, he almost couldn't distinguish one "thu-thump" from the next.

"No, Tohru, it can't happen like this. You need to know what happened! You need to know…you _need_ to know…" his voice dropped down to a hoarse whisper, more towards himself this time than Tohru. He hung is head, his eyes squeezed shut. "You need to- You need to- "

"Kyo…kun" A voice said. Kyo gasped.

"Tohru?!"

"Kyo-kun, where am I?" she whispered, barely audible.

"You have a really bad fever, and you're out in the woods and it's raining, and you didn't come back, so I came out to look for you…" It all just came babbling out, and then Kyo realized what he sounded like. "I mean, uh…" he said, trying to put back up the "tough guy" illusion. "We- I mean I-" Tohru just smiled, her eyes open the tiniest bit.

"You came to find me again." she whispered.

"Again?" Kyo asked in confusion, forgetting he still had his hand on the back of her neck, pillowing her head with his knees.

"Like when you got me from Grandfather's house. You came and found me and brought me home."

_You brought me home…_

"And now you came out to find me again." She closed her eyes, and smiled, and then coughed hard, her whole body shaking.

"Tohru, you've got a really bad fever. You were unconscious for a while, and you've got a really bad cough, and you pushed yourself to the brink of exhaustion! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I-" she sighed, and slowly raised a hand, and Kyo took it, squeezing it hard, as if to reassure himself that she was really there. "It was just rain. I thought I was no big deal. I thought I could get through it-"

"You idiot! You had us all worried sick! There were all sorts of awful things could've happened to you."

"I was all right."

"All right?! You collapsed in the middle of a dark forest in the frickin' pounding rain while it's minus a bajillion degrees out and you say you were all right?"

"I was okay. Mom was here. And I heard everyone's voices saying such kind things to me. Everyone was here with me."

"Oh, now you're hearing things. This is defiantly not good. No one was talking to you! You were alone out here!"

_She was alone…_

Tohru's eyes widened.

"I was alone?" Kyo saw tears form in her eyes. She turned to him, eyes wide with fear. "Am I seeing things now? Are _you_ really here?" Kyo squeezed her hand tighter.

"I'm really here."

"Stay with me…" she whispered, her voice catching in her throat as if she was trying to keep down a sob. "I- I'm scared to be alone. Being by yourself is scary. Being alone…it's a frightening way to live." She sobbed, reaching out towards him, whispering harshly, "Please…please don't…"

"Tohru, it's okay. I'm here now." He leaned down, pulling her the closest he could without setting off the curse. And she whispered into his shoulder:

"Please…don't leave me alone."

Yuki's candle had burned down to a stub, the light dimming with each passing minute, and they still weren't home. Tohru or the cat. Yuki gazed for the millionth time out the window, hoping, imagining, visualizing Tohru and the cat walking out of the dark trees back into the house, which was surprisingly still warm after hours of the heat not working.

Shigure still slept; as usual, oblivious to everything going on around him. Yuki sighed. The worry was like a constant knaw at the place where his ribs met, and sometimes got so bad he felt like he was going to be sick, but pushed it down, and assured himself that everything was fine. That everything would be okay. That everything would turn out all right.

He got up to get another candle. It was a sort of reassurance for him. If he left a candle burning in the window; they would come home all right.

"Hey, Rin?"

She looked up, startled.

"Haru? What are you doing here?" He shrugged one of his famous, passive "…a mystery…" shrugs.

"I came here to talk to Kagura about something and she said you'd come back for a while. Not permanently, though. I hear…" he hesitated, "I hear you're living back at the main house again." She was silent. He walked over and sat on the side of the bed. "Rin….are you okay?" He reached out for her hand which was resting on the bed sheets. She yanked it away, seeming to surprise herself more than anything. Haru only lifted his eyebrows the slightest bit.

"I- I'm fine. Everything's fine." He could see her eyes growing distant, and could almost feel her pulling away into herself.

"Rin. Nothing is ever okay. Especially when you're living in the main house again." She was silent, her eyes growing cold and hard. He sighed and grabbed her hand before she could snatch it away again. "Rin…I'm worried about you."

Again she said nothing, her hand tight and tense in his. He squeezed it as if to make her realize he was still there.

"You can't live there for long, Rin. That place sucks the life out of you. You just dissolve into nothing when you stay there, Rin."

He could already see some of the signs of her face. The protruding bones that meant she was getting not eating well and steadily thinner. The black liquid eyes full of pain. The bags under her eyes, making the skin purplish grey without the aid of make-up. The pale skin that seemed to glow even in the darkness of her room.

It was bright day-light out; a little after two, but Rin's room seemed about ten or eleven o'clock at night in the winter. The curtains were drawn shut, and no lights or lamps were turned on. Haru looked up, seeming to notice the complete lack of light in the room for the first time.

"Rin, why is it so dark in here?" She paused, as if bracing herself to let the answer out.

"…because being in the dark is easier."

"Oh, Rin." He said, scooting sideways along the bed so that their thighs touched. He put his free arm around her, and she put up no resistance. To his surprise she offered more explanation.

"Light is cruel. It reveals even the things you try to hide most. When I'm in the dark, it feels like I don't have to hide because the darkness is doing it for me. Even though I know it's a lie. Those imperfections are still there, but I can get away from them for a while. I feel like I can put down my defenses and just…" she paused considering, searching for the word, "…melting."

"Melting?"

"That's what it feels like. Just melting away. Like a candle that's burned too low, and the melted wax drips over the flame and puts it out. That's why the dark is easier. Because I can just melt away."

Haru tightened his arm around her frighteningly slim shoulders, and kissed her lightly.

"Don't melt." Haru whispered to her, caressing her hair. "I need your flame more than anyone else. Don't let it go out. Whatever you do. Please don't." She replied by pulling her the hair, from around the base of her skull, into her hand, and pushing it behind her back, so the stray hairs wouldn't annoy the skin at her neck.

"Haru?" Kagura's voice called from the hallway. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" Haru looked back to Rin, and she looked away.

"You know," he said, getting up from the bed. "Shihan always says you're welcome to come stay at his house by the dojo. Why don't you? It's better for you there. You don't burn out as quickly." He closed the door softly behind him.

Rin shivered without Haru's warmth beside her, and wrapped her thin arms around herself, trying to warm herself up with no great success. At last she just lay down on the bed in the darkness, closing her eyes to make the illusion of cover more real, imagining that Haru was still lying there beside her.

Haru closed the door behind him and walked down the hallway, his hand feeling very cold without her small, fragile one. _It's strange…_ he thought, as he replayed the moment in his mind when their hands had slipped apart. _It's like I could almost feel her slipping through my hands…_

**End of Chapter 7:**

"**Slipping Through My Hands"**

**A/n: **I'm sorry! I love Rin and Haru too much! I just had to bring them it! Don't worry, all the stories will come together by then end, so it's not like I just threw it in there because I had pages to spare. But the Kyo-Tohru thing isn't really going anywhere, and I realize this. It's just so fun to write drama scenes in the rain. But I promise they will make some progress in the next chapter. --. Anyway. This story is getting longer than I thought it would be when I first thought it out! at this rate, right now, it might take…mm…2 or 3 more chapters to finish it, but I'll probably draw about some scenes and make it longer. So, you can _at least _count on 10 chapters or more. Okay, see ya!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	9. Chapter 8:Corners Shadowed with Darkness

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 8: ****Corners Shadowed With Darkness**

"_She told me that it was like her body was made of broken glass."_

-**Fruits Basket** Vol. 16 _By: Natsuki Takaya_

"Kunimitsu." Someone was shaking him awake. It was too cold to get up. He snuggled farther into the warm nest blankets. "Kunimitsu, wake up!"

"Too early, too cold…" he mumbled and turned over. The man sighed.

"You're twenty one and you still won't get up! I have some really important news about your biological mother!" Kunimitsu's eyes flew wide open as he threw the covers off of himself and stood up, facing Kazuma.

"What? What about her?" His real mother's husband had passed away shortly after she had first visited him when he was twelve years old. Now she and his half-sister Tohru were living together. He'd heard they were happy. Tohru…she would be about…what? Sixteen now? Yeah, that was about right. She'd be in 10th grade, a first year in high school.

_My little sister is in high school…_ the thought of a younger sister was still mind boggling. He'd never met her, so he'd no idea what she looked like except for the vague description his mother had given him nine years ago.

_"What does she look like?!"_

_"Well, sort of like you, I guess. She has dark brow hair, and blue eyes. Not quite as electric blue as yours but, oh she's sooo cute! It just makes you want to hug her!"_

"She…um…well, let's get you some breakfast first."

Kunimitsu's stomach dropped. And it wasn't the idea of Kazuma's cooking either. Whatever it was, it wasn't good news. And _that_ was what scared him.

"She's _dead_?!" Kunimitsu jumped up, banging his hands on the table.

"I'm so sorry," Kazuma said, authentic concern in his eyes.

"She can't be dead!" Kunimitsu stared walking around the room, his hands to his head, his eyes wide. "She can't be dead. She can't be. It's not true."

"Kunimitsu," Kazuma stood up to try and comfort him. He pulled the hand away from the boy's eyes, and he could see tears forming.

"And…she never- she promised she'd-" Kazuma was startled as the young man threw his arms around him, seeking parental comfort, and sobbed. "She promised she'd come visit me again. She _promised_."

"I know," comforted Kazuma, patting the boy's back. "I know."

"It- It just hurts, you know?" Kunimitsu said hoarsely, then cleared his throat. He pulled away from the embrace, and looked Kazuma in the eye.

"I want to know everything."

Kazuma nodded and motioned to the kotatsu.

Once they were both settled, Kazuma folded his hands on the table and said:

"What would you like to know?"

"How did she die?" Kazuma saw Kunimitsu flinch a bit as he said the word.

"She passed away in a car accident." Kunimitsu nodded.

"What happened to…my sister?" _My sister…_ Kunimitsu's voice gained a bit of confidence as he said the last two words.

"She's gone to live with her grandfather on her father's side." Kunimitsu nodded. "And your mother…she did come after that time…once. You were away on that vacation to Kyoto."

"She did come?"

"Yes, and she was very disappointed you weren't here. But she said: "Could I possibly look around. Maybe if I get an idea of the environment Kunimitsu was spending his time in, I could connect with him a little more."

"She tried to understand more about me?"

"Yes. I guess that her life was more stable, and she wanted to get to know you." Kunimitsu looked away. "This was about three years after her husband died." Kazuma's assistant looked up.

"Her husband died?"

"I guess that's why she didn't come to visit you before, because she had so much to deal with. Um, Kunimitsu, would you like to try and find your real father?" Kunimitsu looked up.

"What?"

"Would you like to see if we can find your real father?" He thought, and the silence stretched until finally:

"No. He didn't care enough about me to stay, why should I care about him? Besides," he swept his hand around the room, "I have everything I need in my life. Except-" He faltered.

"Yes?" Kazuma prompted.

_My sister…_ "Never mind."

"All right then. Let's get to the dojo. Do you think some sparring with help?" Kunimitsu smiled.

"I think that would help very much."

There was a loud banging on the door. Heavy tired thuds followed by Kyo's weary voice calling:

"Let me in…" Yuki jumped up, his third candle burned to a stub, and flung the door open. There was Kyo, Tohru limp in his arms, both of them soaked from head to toe and dripping like they had a garden hose hidden in one of their shirts. Kyo had a helpless look of vulnerability Yuki had only ever seen once…

And then he _really_ saw Tohru. Her chest rising and falling _very_ slowly was something that concerned him a great deal. And her lips and fingertips had a bluish tint that meant she must be very cold.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"She passed out in the woods. I- I don't know what's wrong. She's breathing really slowly and her heart rate's all over the place. She's ice cold, and she's probably coughed up half a lung."

As if on cue, Tohru let forth a very loud, painful cough that made both the boys flinch, but it was worse for Kyo, he could feel it. Her body jerking with the effort, the feel of phlegm breaking up in her throat, or chest, or lungs…it seemed to be everywhere in her respiratory system. It was terrifying. Kyo looked around suddenly. "Why are there candles?"

"We lost power right after you left. Just bring her upstairs," Yuki ordered, and for once Kyo did not snap back. "I'll wake Shigure and call Hatori. It may be eleven at night, but he'll be on our tails if we don't." Kyo nodded. Eleven? Really? Had they really been out that long? Tohru had gone out at five to get the groceries, eight when Kyo had set out to find her. So they'd been gone for three hours.

Kyo had the slightest twinge of remorse for the rat. What must it have been like to just sit there waiting without power for three hours? And Tohru! She'd been outside since she'd left the store. That would be around…seven? Yeah, that sounded about right. She'd actually been out in the rain for four hours. Kyo was really starting to get anxious.

He made his way up the stairs and into Tohru's room, which was lit with three candles, and paused. Should he get her some dry clothes? It might be worse to leave her in wet clothes. And he would try not to look…if that was possible.

So after a lot of peeks out of the corner of his eyes and not _that_ much skin, he had her dressed in the warmest pajama's he could find in her dresser and laid down in the bed under the downy blankets. He even ran to the storage closet at the end of the hall to get an extra blanket.

He looked around the room for something to sit on and settled for pulling the chair at her desk up to the side of the bed. Her hand was limply hanging over the side of the bed. He took it and held it for a long time in silence.

He heard the door creak open.

"Is she okay?" Yuki asked, stepping forward and closing the door behind him with a click.

"That depends on your definition of "okay"." Kyo said, not meeting his eye.

"Is she still breathing and not pouring blood all over the floor?" Yuki asked scornfully.

"She's okay…for the moment." Kyo replied as Yuki stepped forward to look down on her. Yuki gave him a sideways glance that Kyo couldn't read.

"She's wearing different clothes…?" The half question half statement made Kyo flinch as he wheeled around and stared the rat right in the face.

"I had to change her clothes! Wet clothes could be dangerous for her!"

"I wasn't saying anythi-"

"Whatever," Kyo said quietly as he turned back to Tohru. "So, did you call Hatori?"

"Yeah, and he said the symptoms she's having could be dangerous." Kyo's eyes widened. "He's heading over right away."

"So that prick really does care," he muttered, gazing at the girl's face. "There really is somethin' about her…"

Yuki smiled, and then took on a look of annoyance.

"And Shigure wouldn't wake up. He's like a rock when he sleeps. Once he's out, he's _out_."

"What an idiot."

"I didn't know jellyfish slept."

"So what did Hatori say we should we do until he gets here?" Kyo asked, not wanting to feel useless.

"Get her into some warm clothes and into a bed with lots of blankets. But you seem to have all the bases covered on this one."

Kyo scowled for lack of something better to do and/or say.

"All right."

"Well…" Yuki said to fill the stretching silence, "I'll be downstairs if you need me." Kyo didn't turn around, but just listened to the door creak open, and shut, and Yuki's receding footsteps down the hall and stairs.

_"…he said the symptoms she's having could be dangerous."_

"Get better, okay?" Kyo whispered. Half back in the other time she'd been sick with a fever. When he'd cooked her medley soup. "Get better so you can wander around the house with that idiotic expression like you always do. If you don't, I'll go crazy."

_You need to get better so I can tell you everything…_

Scenes flashed in his head. Horrible scenes. Black clothing. White flowers. Incense. Horrible when associated with Tohru…

Kyo caught himself. _That's not going to happen!_ He thought fiercely. _It won't! I'm just exaggerating!_

"Everything will be all right." He murmured to himself, trying to make it as solid as possible. "Everything will be all right."

But as Kyo settled down in the chair on the side of the bed, stroking Tohru's hair, listening to her ragged breathing…the corners shadowed with darkness which flickered with candle light in the corners of his eyes whispered to him:

_You might want to reconsider…_

**End of Chapter 8:**

"**Corners Shadowed With Darkness"**

**A/n:** Only two titles for this chapter too! Yaaah! And I finally moved on from the "drama in the woods" junk! It's been going on for what…five, six chapters now? Well, two of them didn't have Kyo and Tohru in them, but whatever. And now we move on! Yaaah! And oh! I hope that the… counting on fingers three different plot lines aren't scaring you off or confusing you! That would be really bad TT. But I _promise_ I'll connect two of them, and the flashback plot line with Kunimitsu and Kazuma and Kyoko is almost over, and I will be bringing their story up in present time with the Kyo-Tohru and the Rin-Haru plot lines. So yeah! Anyway! Join me next chapter! Bye!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	10. Chapter 9: Strawberry Stained Smile

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 9: ****Strawberry Stained Smile**

"_I still hear your voice, when you sleep next to me.  
I still feel your touch in my dreams.  
Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.  
Without you it's hard to survive"_

-**Every Time We Touch**

Hatori withdrew his stethoscope from Tohru's collarbone, and sighed, turning to the boys anxiously waiting behind him in the candlelit room.

"I'm afraid this is quite serious," he said to the boys, eyes closed with thought. "It seems Honda-kun has acquired a case of pneumonia."

(A/n: ni-moan-ya)

"What's newmoan-whatsit?" Kyo asked, stumbling over the word.

"_Pneumonia,_ you stupid cat. It's a respiratory disease." Yuki said, sighing, channeling his rising fear for Tohru into anger towards Kyo.

"That's right." Hatori said and continued to explain. "Pneumonia is an infection of the respiratory system. It's where an infection lives in your bronchial tubes and lungs and keeps growing. If not treated the infection will close off the airways and suffocate the patient."

"Suffocate?!" Kyo roared, his anxiety also channeling into anger. He looked over towards Tohru, a wheeze underlying her every breath.

"Which we won't let happen. Her pneumonia is still at an early stage so it can still be caught. But she will need serious attention while the treatment is taking place."

"And what will the treatment be?" Yuki asked, fighting to keep his voice steady.

"We'll give her some medication and you'll need to monitor her all the time to make sure she's breathing. She'll sleep a lot and probably only be awake and functioning four or five hours a day." He sighed. "I've never seen a case develop this far this fast. You say she was out in the rain for four hours?" Kyo nodded, and Hatori shook his head. "This isn't good though. I'm very glad you called me. Here," He rummaged in his bag and pulled out two bottles.

"What are these?" Yuki asked as he took them from Hatori's hands.

"Her medication. Give her two pills everyday: one in the morning and one at night. Give her warm, easy to eat foods, preferably hearty soups with a lot of vegetables. She'll need it to get her strength back. Oh, and leeks are very good. Just about every ailment you could think of, leeks help."

Kyo snorted. "Not if you die eating them!"

Hatori's face flickered the shadow of a smile. Yuki blinked. He wasn't even sure if it was there at all, or if it was just a trick of the light.

"Well, you two take care of her." he head, heading for the door. "I'll come to check up on her in a couple of days."

"Thank you so much, Hatori," Yuki said, genuine appreciation in his deep eyes purple in color with the curse of the rat.

"You're welcome. And one of you had better sleep in here tonight to make sure she doesn't stop breathing." And with that he shut the door and left the boys in silence to listen to his footsteps retreat down the hallway.

Yuki sighed, and looked at his watch.

"12:30." That was all that was needed.

"I'll stay in here tonight, stupid rat!" Kyo scowled at him. "You go to bed." Yuki was taken aback but said nothing, his knawing exhaustion left the idea of a warm comfortable bed as paradise. He walked out the door, his eyes already falling shut as he walked down the hall to his room.

Kyo thought setting up a cot would be the best way to go. He walked down the hall quickly, not wanting to leave Tohru alone too long. Quickly, he grabbed the fold-up cot, a pillow, and a blanket from the closet and headed back to the door, cursing as he tripped over the blanket edge and almost took a sideways spill down the stairs. Once back in Tohru's room, he set up the cot, blew out the candles, and lay down on top of the covers. He knew he wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

"Mmm…" Tohru murmured in her sleep before a wracking cough cut through the air. Poor thing. The moonlight spilled through the window and lit her face in an eerie glow. Her whole face, her closed eyes, her nose, her hair, all drenched in blue…except for her lips. Kyo studied them...they were the same color they always were. The color of the inside of strawberries. So full and beautiful. He wondered if they would taste as sweet…

_No,_ he thought, _not yet. I can't tell her that yet. I have to tell her everything else first. Her feelings have to come first…_

Another painful sounding cough sounded in the dark room, followed by a shuddering wheeze. He jumped up out of reflex and alarms and was already kneeling beside her bed before his brain caught up to his actions. _What am I doing?_ Kyo questioned as he stood up, looking down at her.

He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead which was heated with fever.

"Get better soon, okay?" He said, smiling down at her, his fingers tracing her lips which were pulled up into the shadow of a strawberry smile.

**End of Chapter 9:**

"**Strawberry Stained Smile"**

**A/n:** OMG I only had one title for once! cheering crowd thank you, thank you. This chapter, at the part where Kyo went to get a cot…ashamed I stopped there in June and didn't finish it until today…which is January sob sob Oh well. I originally wrote chapter 10 as part of chapter 9, but they seemed to go separately, so I chopped them into two chapters. Well, enjoy chapter 10!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	11. Chapter 10: Anytime You Need Me

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 10: ****Anytime You Need Me**

"_Baby, take all of your fears; cast them all on me_

'_Cause all I ever wanted was just to make you see_

_That I could be the one to give you all that you've been searching for_

_Just hold on to my love and, baby, let me give you more"_

-**Anytime You Need Me**

By_: Kelly Clarkson _

Yuki sat in his room. Fretting. Of course he was fretting. Fretting was what he did best. He was the Prince of fretting…the Fretting Prince. He sighed. The room was so empty and quiet and dark…black…black paint, black soul, black words… Oh, god, no!

Yuki put his hands to his head, trying to clear it of the painful flashbacks. Just then, the phone rang. Yuki jumped, then sighed. He was wound too tight. He raced down stairs and picked up the phone before the answering machine could. Who would be calling at this time of night.

"Hello?" he said a bit breathless.

"Yuki?" The voice at the other end sounded worried.

"Oh, hello Kagura. What's wrong?"

"Hatori just called me. I was worried. What's happening? What's wrong with her? Is she all right? Is she—"

"Calm down, Kagura," Yuki said, cutting her off. "Ms. Honda is asleep in bed right now. Kyo is watching her just to be safe. Ms. Honda has pneumonia, but Hatori gave us some medicine. He says with plenty of bed rest and lots of soup, plus the medicine, she should be fine."

"Oh, thank goodness," Kagura's sigh came in a burst of static over the phone.

"Kagura?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah?"  
"Uh…" he hesitated. "I was…having flashbacks…"

"Oh, Yuki, it's okay!" He could hear her voice increase peppiness in an attempt to cheer him up. "I'm mentally giving you a big hug right now." Yuki smiled in spite of himself.

"Thanks, Kagura."

"It'll all work out fine, Yuki. Kyo and Tohru and Shii-chan are there with you. And I'm there with you…well not technically, since I'm over here at my house. Well, I was alone too, but now I'm not…and I guess you're here with me too. Is this what they consider being in two places at onc—"

"You're alone?" Yuki asked, stopping her rambling.

"Yeah. Momma is spending the night at her friends house…you know a sort of girl's night out. So it's just me, since Rin moved to Shishou's—"

"Rin moved to Shishou's?" Yuki asked, shocked.

"Yeah. Rin came back with to stay with us for a week. Haru came over to talk to me about some stuff, but I needed to finish clearing the table—it was just after dinner—so he talked to Rin for a while. Then, after he left, she suddenly said she wanted to go stay at the dojo for a while. Haru must be behind it." Yuki smiled faintly.

"Haru knows Rin's better off the farther away from the main house she is."

"Well, I still can't believe they're together…it shocked me so much when I first found out. Well, I guess it makes sense. They were so close as kids, and they're interested in the same stuff, and they even wear the same kind of clothes." Kagura mused

"But Haru is…Haru, and Rin can be vicious sometimes. I'm worried about him." Yuki fretted…again with the fretting.

"I'm not. I bet Haru could take her." Yuki actually laughed at the image coming to his mind. "I knew I could make you laugh," she sighed, "you're a good kid, Yuki. You just need to _look_ at yourself sometimes." He smiled.

"Thanks, Kagura."

"Anytime you need me," she said with a smile in her voice as she hung up with a click.

_"Rin? Rin, lovely girl, wake up…" I hear a voice whisper in my ear._

_"Haru?"_

_"That's right. Wake up, Rin." Blackness surrounds me. Black murky water drowning me. I try to scream but no one hears._

_"HELP ME!!" I scream._

_"Rin…Rin…its okay…it's all just a dream…" I hear a voice whisper and feel strong arms around me and the water disappears and I can breathe again. Haru walks out of the darkness, his arms open._

_"Haru!" I cry and run to him, hugging him with all my might. I can feel his strong frame in my arms and I feel safe. Then something wet trickles down my hand. I pull back…and blood stains Haru's shirt. I look up into his eyes._

_"You've been a very bad girl, Rin." A toneless voice that resembles Haru's escapes the bleeding Haru's mouth_

_"NO! Haru! No!" I cry as he collapses._

_"I'm right here, Rin," a voice echoes in the darkness above. But Haru does not move…a pool of blood forms around his motionless body._

_"No! Haru, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" I sob. "Oh god, don't leave! I can't live without you! God, please no."_

_"Rin…Rin, it's all just a dream. Come back to me, Rin." I ignore the voice._

_"NO!!" I scream with all my might. "NO!" I feel hands on my shoulders, shaking me and…_

"Rin!" She opened her eyes to find Haru's eyes staring back. She was in bed…at Kazuma's dojo. Haru was right next to her, holding her in his arms. She shivered as the cold sweat of her nightmares registered. Haru pulled her close and hugged her until she stopped sobbing. "It was all just a dream," he whispers like a chant, over and over again in her ear, "It was all just a dream."

The door swung open, and Kunimitsu stood in the doorway with a panicked expression.

"Is everything all right?" he panted, a little breathless. Rin glared at him over Haru's shoulder, her face assuming the "get the hell away from me" expression. Haru glanced back at him.

"No. We're fine." Kunimitsu lingered a moment, then shrugged, turned and headed down the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

"Haru…what the hell are you doing here?" Rin demanded.

"Does it matter?" His face quirked up into a smile that warmed her heart, though she let no emotion leak though the mask she'd put back up.

"I guess not," she muttered.

"Admit it," he said, still smiling, "you're glad to see me."

"Am not," she countered.

"Come on, lovely girl," he prompted, fingering a piece of her hair, "a simple thank you too much to ask?" He smiled and she felt her heart soar.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"You're welcome," he replied. She lay back down, exhausted.

"I think I'm going to _try_ to go back to sleep. I'm so tired." She gave him a sideways look.

"Then I'd best be going," Haru said, getting up from the bed. In a reflex motion, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. He wheeled around, and, seeing the unconscious fear in her eyes, he sighed, and lay back down next to her. Soon enough she was asleep. She had always been able to sleep better by him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm…thanks…" Rin whispered in her sleep. Haru smiled and leaned down and kissed her sleeping face.

"Anytime you need me."

**End of Chapter 10:**

"**Anytime You Need Me"**

**A/n:** Like I said last chapter, this chapter (the Rin/Haru part) was originally part of chapter 9, but it seemed like a separate idea, so I split it into its own chapter. But then it seemed a little bare, so I added the part about Yuki getting the phone call from Kagura. And, see, just as I promised, the Kunimitsu plot line crossed with the Rin/Haru plot. So now I have to connect the Tohru/Kyo and Rin/Haru-Kunimitsu line. He hee, read the next chapter to find out how I do it evil grin

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	12. Chapter 11: Drawn to the Flames

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 11: Drawn to the Flames**

"_Pulling me away from the flames_

_Won't stop the fire"_

-**Run Right Back In**

_By: Armor For Sleep_

_Smile For Them__ Album_

Rin crept along the quiet hallway the next night. She couldn't sleep, being the nocturnal sort she was. Haru was gone, so she couldn't sleep no matter how hard she'd tried. The darkness had settled over her like a cloak. She liked then night—when she was awake—because it gave her a sense of power…something she so rarely had. She reached Kunimitsu's room, and found a light coming from beneath the door. _What the…_ she wondered, as she crept closer.

She flinched when floor board creaked. She attempted to turn and leave, but heard the door squeak open and a voice ask:

"Isuzu?" _Dammit_ "What are you doing up this late?" She turned and glared.

"I could ask you the same question," she murmured coldly.

"Point taken," he agreed and sighed. She continued to glare at him. Glaring was one of her specialties. She turned to go, but then remembered something.

"Hey," she said, her voice toneless, "you were muttering about something in the kitchen yesterday." This was unlike her, but something had caught her interest.

"What," he asked. She was surprised as she was.

"In the kitchen yesterday. You were muttering something about "my sister""

"Oh, that," he scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well, you see, it's a long story. I'm adopted. And apparently my biological mother had another child after me. I don't know much about her, or where she is. And then my mother died, and I lost any trace of my sister I had."

"What was her name?" Rin asked

"Tohru," he said with a faint smile. She had been a fire burning in the back of his mind since the day he'd learned of her existence. He couldn't help but be drawn to the flames. Rin was astonished.

"Do you know her last name?" She asked breathlessly. Kunimitsu considered that for a moment, and then his eyes sparked.

"Honda…Tohru Honda was her name."

"I know her," Rin whispered.

"What?!" Kunimitsu almost shouted, but then clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing it was still the middle of the night.

"I know her…" Rin said, not believing herself. Kunimitsu's sister…"She's staying with Yuki and Kyo."

Morning came. It had been a full day since Tohru had left for the store.

"K-Kyo-kun?" a feeble sounding voice asked from the bed. Kyo opened his bleary eyes to see Tohru's pale face turned towards him, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. She was glad to see him.

"'Morning…" He groaned, getting up off the cot and stretching his stiff muscles. He heard Tohru's tired laugh…then following it, a loud cough.

"You look just like a cat when you do that, Kyo-kun." She smiled. He frowned.

"We need to get you your medicine, air-head,"

"Medicine?" She repeated, dazed.

"You're sick. You have pneumonia, you dope. You caught it out in the rain, remember? I carried you back here and Hatori came over and gave you a diagnosis." Her eyes widened.

"Oh my. You all went to so much trouble for me," Kyo sighed as he saw tears sparkle in her eyes. She sobbed and wheezed and then started coughing continuously. Kyo came over and helped her into a position where it was easier to breathe and she gasped a large gulp of air. "M-maybe I shouldn't cry anymore…" she looked down, ashamed. Kyo bobbed her on the head.

"You are such a dope. You need to rest and get better," _I'll tell you soon. I promise…_ She lay back down on the pillows, and her hand landed on Kyo's. His skin heated instantly and he felt an overwhelming urge to lean in closer to her…to touch her more. Her face, her hair…

"Kyo-kun?" she asked in surprise, actually grabbing his hand. "Is something wrong?" He jerked away, starring to blush, but forgot she was clutching his hand, so he pulled her half way off the bed.

"Ah, crap," he said, swinging around in a blindingly fast motion and caught her. She clutched his shirt; her eyes wide open in surprise. He pulled her back onto the bed, but he leaned too far over the bed and fell, his feet swept out from under him, onto the bed.

"Ah…" Tohru said awkwardly. The only thing to keep the curse from triggering was a thin blanket between them. Kyo saw her face heat up and felt his mirror it. He could feel every line of her body against his. His entire body felt feverish; like he was on fire. Their faces were inches apart…so close he could feel her fast breathing on his cheeks. What was he doing!? He jumped up from the bed.

"I-I'm sorry," he said turning away, blushing furiously as he stormed out the door.

"Kyo-ku--" Kyo was speeding out the door, rushing through the door to the yard, ignoring sleepy Shigure's inquiries.

_What the hell was I doing?!_ Kyo scolded himself, clutching his head like it ached. His body still felt heated.

_Pulling me away from the flames won't put out the fire..._ he thought to himself. _No matter what happens, I will always love her. I can't help that. Tohru…_ he whispered thoughts he knew no one would ever hear as he ran through the forest.

"Tohru, I wish I could be the kind of man you deserve. I wish I could be a normal man who could hold you in his arms without transforming into an outcast cat. You deserve so much more than that, Tohru," He whispered to the passing trees. "And those are the things I can never give you, no matter how hard I try."

_But no matter what; the fire will always keep burning._

_ I can't put it out._

**End of Chapter 11:**

"**Drawn to the Flames"**

**A/n:** This chapter was fun to write!! Yaah! I kind of bent Rin's character there a little to make the story work, but it worked out well enough. I'm getting back into writing a lot. I wrote the Kyo/Tohru half of this yesterday and the Rin/Kunimitsu half today. sigh I'm on the downhill motion now people. I say five more chapters…tops! So enjoy 'em while they last!

**P.S.** In my story, when Tohru went to Kazuma's with Kyo, she didn't meet Kunimitsu, so neither of them have ever met!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	13. Chapter 12: Refuse to Stay Buried

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 12: Some Secrets Refuse to Stay Buried**

"_Is he real or a ghost-lie?_

_She feels she isn't heard_

_And the veil tears and rages till her _

_Voices are remembered_

_And his secrets can be told__"_

-**Lust**

_Tori Amos_

_To Venus and Back: Orbiting_

"Tohru…"

"Kyo-kun—" she cut off coughing. When she recovered, she began again. "Kyo-kun, I was worried about you? Where were you?"

"I—" he hesitated. He had the courage to do this. He did and he would. "I had to sort some things out." She smiled and patted the bed by her legs. He hesitated a moment, and crossed the room silently to sit on the bed. Tohru gave him a sympathizing look, laying her hand on his.

"It's okay, Kyo-kun," she wheezed, coughing to clear her throat. Kyo's expression became confused.

"You've been taking that medicine for two days now, and nothing's better."

"I'm sure it just takes a while to kick in," Tohru said, giving him a reassuring smile. In spite of himself, the corner of his mouth twitched up. "By the way, how is Yuki-kun doing?"

"I'm right here, Ms. Honda," Yuki said, striding in through the doorway.

"Oh! Yuki-kun!" She smiled at him, and he grinned back.

"I should be asking how you are holding up, Ms. Honda," he asked, his expression concerned.

"I'm fine, Yuki-kun, honest—" She coughed, and he glared at her.

"Ms. Honda," he said and she looked down at the bed covers.

"The damn rat's got a point," Kyo muttered. Yuki looked at him, eyebrows raised. Kyo glared at him, and then turned back to Tohru. "Rest, all ready! You do know that you get better quicker when you actually get some?" She smiled. Her face was flushed with fever, making it look like she was blushing.

"Okay," she looked up at them both, "thank you so much. For everything."

"Oh, what a surprise!" They heard Shigure say from downstairs.

"Well, I guess the jellyfish is up," Yuki muttered. They heard another voice answer. A deep, male voice, and another, slightly higher one, and a female voice. "I wonder who's here," Yuki wondered, he turned to Tohru, "I'll go check." He turned and went down the hall. They were alone! He could finally tell her!

"Tohru!" His voice was a bit loud, due to the emotion he was trying to keep squashed inside of him. She turned to him, her face surprised. "There's something I need to tell you," Kyo said, his eyes fierce.

"What is it, Kyo-kun?" Tohru said, oblivious.

"Tohru…when I was little…I met your mother!" He said, the words rushing out of his mouth. She just gaped at him.

"What?!"

"I met her at Kazuma's dojo when I was little. She talked to me about some things." Kyo said, meeting Tohru's bewildered gaze.

"What was Mom doing there?" Tohru wondered, still getting over the shock of knowing that Kyo had met her mother. This was the hard part. He took in a deep breath, summoned all his courage, looked her in the eye and said:

"Visiting your brother."

"Oh! What a surprise!" The door opened, and Shigure was behind it, his hair messy as if he'd just gotten out of bed.

"Hello, Shigure," Kazuma said pleasantly, walking through the door into the house, followed by two people.

"Is she here?" Kunimitsu asked. "Is she really here?" Kazuma smiled and turned around, placing a hand on Kunimitsu's shoulder.

"Calm down, Kunimitsu," Kazuma comforted.

"Yeah, geez," Rin muttered from behind them. Shigure peeked around Kazuma's figure.

"Rin?" He asked in puzzlement, "Why are you here?" Kazuma laughed in response as Rin glared.

"She's staying with us," Kazuma answered, "and we didn't want to leave her alone. After all, Rin is the reason we're here in the first place." Rin continued glaring.

"Is that so?" Shigure asked. Kazuma smiled and winked at him.

"You'll see soon enough."

"Shihan?" Yuki asked, walking down the stairs and around the corner, and then catching sight of Rin who was trying to avoid eye contact. "Rin?"

"I don't know anymore that you do, Yuki," Shigure said with a smile, "They're sort of on a secret mission." Yuki still looked puzzled, but decided to let it go.

"Is Ms. Tohru Honda home?" Kazuma asked.

"Yes she certainly is…although she's sick at the moment." Shigure said. "Though I'm sure she'd love some company other than these two boring young people," Shigure teased. Yuki flinched instinctively. Kunimitsu was practically bouncing up and down on his heels.

"May we go up?" Kunimitsu asked, almost quashing his excitement. Shigure eyed him suspiciously, but nodded. Kunimitsu and Kazuma headed up the stairs, Rin gazing after them.

"You're not going?" Shigure asked. She gave him a sideways look, and then sighed.

"I guess. Don't want to miss the big show." Then she grudgingly walked up the stairs after them, followed by Shigure.

Once they were all in Tohru's room, she was beaming.

"Oh! Shishou-san, Isuzu-san! I'm so glad you came to visit me! I'm so grateful!" She wheezed. Kazuma smiled at her, and then his face turned serious.

"Tohru-san, there is something I would like to talk to you about." He eyes widened. She stared at all the faces surrounding her. Kyo, Yuki, Shigure, Shishou-san, Isuzu…and one unfamiliar face, beaming at her with intensity.

"What is it, Shishou-san?" she asked, then coughed.

"Tohru-san...I'd like to introduce you to someone." He said. The boy she didn't recognize stepped forward, still smiling. "This is my assistant at the dojo." Kazuma nodded to the boy and bowed formally, and then looked her straight in the eye.

"Hello, Tohru Honda. I am Kunimitsu Tomodo…your half brother."

**End of Chapter 12:**

"**Some Secrets Refuse to Stay Buried"**

**A/n:** Wooow! I can't believe I made it to chapter 12! WOO HOO! I'm thinking I'm going to make this story 14 chapters long, plus the Epilogue, so it's a total of 15 chapters. One for each member of the zodiac, plus Akito, Tohru, and Kyo. So the secret's finally out! Tohru has a half brother! Now we get to see Kyo's portion of the story…and what he has to say. PS, you all are going to hate me for what route I've decided the story is going to take. evil grin It's your choice, though. You can stop reading now and spare yourself…if you dare….

Well, enjoy the next chapter!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	14. Chapter 13: What's On My Mind

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 13: What's On My Mind**

"_It won't do me any good it's just a waste of time  
What use is it to you what's on my mind  
If it ain't comin' out we're not going anywhere  
So why can't I just tell you that I care."_

-**These Things I'll Never Say**

_By: Avril Lavigne_

Tohru just blinked.

"What?"

"Tohru, Kunimitsu is your half brother," Kazuma restated. If Tohru's eyes got any wider, they just might've popped. And Yuki and Shigure's too. This is what Kyo had been trying to tell her!

"You mean…his mom, is my mom?"

"Exactly," Kazuma said. Kunimitsu stepped forward.

"Your mother was very young when she had me, so she gave me up for adoption. I only saw her once. She was a very kind woman. I'm glad she was my mother." Tohru smiled.

"Yeah. Mom was the greatest." She coughed loudly. Kunimitsu turned to Kyo.

"Kyo, why didn't you say something?" Kyo looked at the carpet.

"There was a lot of…stuff going on," he mumbled, "and I tried to tell her before you came bursting in here." Tohru just smiled.

"I'm just so happy. I never thought I had any family besides Mom, and I don't remember Dad, so—" she coughed. Kunimitsu smiled back.

"I was so sad when I heard my mother had died. But then there was always a hope in the back of my mind that I'd meet you one day, Tohru. When I heard you'd moved out of your grandparent's house, I lost track of you. And with it I sort of lost hope of finding you. Who would have guessed you'd end up in a Sohma house…same as I did?" He beamed, and Tohru smiled back.

"I am so grateful to Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, and Shigure-san for letting me live here. They really are wonderful people with good hearts." She smiled do widely, is seemed like her face wasn't big enough. She turned to Kunimitsu, "I'm so surprised to find out I have a brother! But it's good surprise! I'm so happy!"

_"What does she look like?!"_

_"Well, sort of like you, I guess. She has dark brow hair, and blue eyes. Not quite as electric blue as yours but, oh she's sooo cute! It just makes you want to hug her!"_ Kunimitsu sighed.

"Mom was right. You really are as cute as she said." Tohru sparked up.

"Mom talked about me?"

"Oh, yeah. She said you were so cute it made someone want to hug you! You were all she really talked about."

"You got that right!" Kyo muttered. Everyone looked at him. "What?" he said, defensive, "I met her mom when I was little and she wouldn't stop talking about the air head over here," he jerked his thumb in Tohru's direction. She grinned.

"He's right, you know," Kunimitsu said, "It seemed like you filled her life with happiness. I'm glad you were both happy. I'm glad I got to meet her, and now I'm so glad that I finally got a chance to meet you."

"I'm also so grateful," Tohru said, her eyes smiling, brimming over with happiness, "that I got to meet you, too…nii-san."

The others had left Kunimitsu and Tohru to talk in her room. Kyo was straining to hear up the stair well from the dinning room where they all sat around the table. Rin was off in a corner glaring, while Kunimitsu, Kazuma, Shigure, and Yuki were having an animated discussion. Suddenly the door creaked open.

"Hello, Sensei," Haru said casually as he strode through the door. Rin's eyes held genuine surprise. Haru glanced at all the people gathered in the room. "Having a party and didn't invite me?"

"Tohru-kun's got a half brother!" Shigure said excitedly, motioning to Kunimitsu.

"Really?" Haru said, eyebrows raised, "Kunimitsu, huh? Go figure." His eyes scanned the room and locked with Rin's. "I wouldn't expect you to be here," Haru said to her.

"I'm not. They dragged me along," she jerked her head in the direction of Kazuma's back. Haru's lips twitched up into a smile. He turned to Kazuma.

"That's dangerous, Shishou, she fights back, you know."

"I'm fully aware of that," Kazuma said, his eyes crinkling into a smile as he held up his wrist which barred four small finger sized bruises.

"Jesus, Rin," Kyo exclaimed. "Did you really not wanna come over that much?"

"No," she replied, scowling, "I just didn't want to have to look at your ugly mug, but I guess I can't help it now,"

"All right, boys and girls, enough bickering," Shigure interjected cheerily. Kyo and Rin continued to glare at each other until Haru interrupted:

"Rin, could I talk to you for a minute?" She hesitated, and then slowly rose out of her chair and followed Haru into the kitchen.

"Well, that was unexpected," Shigure said. They heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Kunimitsu making his way down from the second floor. He locked eyes with Kyo.

"Kyo?" he asked.

"What?" he answered bluntly.

"She says she wants to talk to you," Kunimitsu said. Kyo blinked, sighed, and then rose and walked up the stairs.

_What would she want to talk to me about? Probably how I knew her mother or something like that…yeah…yeah that's gotta be it…_

"Tohru?" Kyo said as he walked into her room, shutting the door behind him.

"Oh, Kyo-kun," she smiled at him, wheezing as she said the words.

"You wanted to talk to me about something," he stated.

"Yes," Was it the fever, or was she blushing? He couldn't tell. She patted the side of the bed, and he sat down on it.

"What's up?" he asked.

"W-well, I, um…well, I've seen you acting kind of strange lately. I was wondering if you were okay…and, um…it always seems to be when you look at me, so, um, I was wondering if I did something wrong," she stumbled over the words.

"Air head," he sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong,"

"But you seem like you have something to say, and then when you seem about to say it, you never do." She looked down at the covers. Okay, now she was defiantly blushing.

"No—I—" He couldn't deny it. There was something he had to say. He _had_ to say it. He sighed. "Tohru, there _is_ something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, now."

"What is it, Kyo-kun?" she blinked innocently up at him with those wide eyes of hers.

"Ahh, how do I say this," he muttered to himself.

"Kyo-kun," she laid her hand on top of his, and looked up at him. "I want to know what's on your mind. Remember? I want us to stay together." He sighed, gathered up all his courage, and looked her in the eye.

"Tohru…I'm in love with you."

**End of Chapter 13:**

"**What's On My Mind"**

**A/n:** Yaaah! I made it to chapter 13! I wrote this entire chapter in a half an hour! Woo hoo! Well, hurray, Kyo finally confessed! he's so awesome, right fan girls? Now you see how Tohru reacts and what happens. I'm thinking maybe I'll make it 15 chapters plus the Epilogue. It all depends on how it ends up coming out. I'll go wherever the story takes me! Well, have fun with this! I'll see you next chapter! Bye!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	15. Chapter 14: I Can't Breathe Without You

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 14: I Can't Breathe Without You**

"_To the whole world_

_You may just be one person_

_But to one person_

_You may be the whole world"_

-**Anonymous**

"What, Haru?" Rin said, intentionally putting an edge in her voice to mask her excitement at seeing him again.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," He said casually, his hands in his pockets, his eyes unhesitating as they met hers.

"I haven't changed in the last few seconds since you've seen me." She countered.

"Actually, if you want to be technical, it's been a few days," he said, un-wavered by her words. She glared at him.

"Whatever," she muttered.

"All right, I can see I'm not wanted," Haru said in a mock hurt tone. "I'll just leave then,"

"Have a nice life," Rin said, aloof. He started to walk towards the door and Rin turned her face away. He paused, not moving, a foot from the door. Then, he was suddenly behind her, his strong hands on her thin shoulders; wheeling her around. She barely had time to draw in a breath before his lips crushed her. Her eyes shot wide open, but the familiar, safe feel of the one she loved's lips on hers melted her ice coated heart. She fell so hard and fast for him all over again, the emotion buckled her knees. But there were those strong hands again, holding her up.

When they finally drew away, they were both breathing hard.

"What…the hell?" Rin panted.

"This is ridiculous," he shook his head, "I love you so much, Rin. So much I would give you the world; I would die for you. I can't tell you how much I love you. Every second not with you is hell, Rin. Every freaking second of every freaking day is more unbearable than any torture. And I refuse to believe you don't feel it too."

"But I—" Haru cut short her protest.

"I know you, Rin. I know you better than that. I could see it in your eyes, and feel it in your movements…in every caress, in every kiss. I could tell you loved me too. Why did you do it, Rin?" She looked down at her shoe, trying to dig a hole in the kitchen tile. "Rin…"

"I was protecting you, okay?!" She shouted, "Akito found out about us. I didn't want him to hurt you, Haru! So I took all the blame. I told him I seduced you into it, and that it was all my fault. Can't you see? I _do_ feel the same way. But if Akito hurt you…and I knew it was all my fault…I couldn't live with myself. But I _wouldn't_ live without you! I love you so much, Haru, I can't stand it sometimes. It seems like it's going to crush you someday! I just loved you so much I didn't want to see you get hurt!"

"Oh, Rin," he said, drawing her into his arms. "Don't you see? Now I realize it's my fault that you got hurt. I can't stand it. I don't deserve you, Rin, if it's my fault all those things happened to you,"

"You…don't deserve me?" she scoffed, blinking back tears, "I freaking don't deserve you. You're so kind and loving and no matter how much of a bitch I am, at the end of the day you always come home loving me more than life itself! It's not fair! Someone like you shouldn't have to be burdened with someone like me!" Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now.

"Oh, God, Rin. I love you so much because you're like that!" He said, burying his face into the top of her head. "I love every single part of you. The sweet Rin, the sexy, hot Rin, the screaming with nightmares Rin, and the bitchy Rin. I don't have a choice in that. You'd have to kill me to make me stop loving you…and even that would be a draw." She smiled.

"Oh, Haru. I still can't help it. I love you so much."

"I take that as a compliment," he joked and she laughed. She actually laughed. For the first time since that fateful day when it had all started down a dark spiral…Rin laughed. "Oh, it's good to hear you laugh again," he mused.

"Don't get used to it," she growled playfully.

"Oh, right, Scowly-Brooding Girl is kind of your thing, isn't it?"

"Damn straight," she said and he laughed.

"I love you, Rin."

"I can't breathe without you, Haru."

Tohru blinked. Kyo stared back at her; his eyes just as fierce.

Kyo loved her. Kyo…the cat…the outcast…her housemate…her friend…loved her. How did she feel? What was this feeling that brewed inside her whenever she looked at him? Whenever she laughed with him? Whenever she stared into his deep crimson eyes? What was this feeling? Was it…was it love?

She reached down into herself. Thinking about all the things that had happened…and realized.

"Kyo-kun…I love you too!"

Kyo blinked back in surprise! He wasn't expecting that response. He'd thought she would let him down easily…saying she thought of him as a brother…but this…to hear that she loved him back…was more than he could have hoped for.

Then, before they had realized they were leaning towards each other, their lips met. Softly…sweetly…but held so much passion Tohru almost fainted. She couldn't believe it. This was the sweetest things she had ever tasted in her life! The taste of Kyo's lips on her hers and the love they shared. When they broke away, they stared into each other's eyes.

"Tohru—" he started.

"Yes?" She answered, her voice soft, yet a little hoarse.

"I know I'm not everything you deserve. You deserve a normal man who you can hug without him turning into a cat. A normal man who can live a normal life with you. I love you more than anything else in the world, but I'm not sure I'm what's best for you…"

"Kyo-kun!" She exclaimed, coughing a little bit before recovering, although she wheezed on the next words. "I just realized I loved you! You can't take that away from me. I know I'm being selfish, but I just realized what these feelings inside me were! Just because you're not normal, won't make me stop loving you, Kyo-kun." Tears streamed down her face, and she coughed louder. Kyo leaned over and helped her into a more upright position to help her breath better.

"Oh, Tohru," he sighed, giving her one of the sweetest, most beautiful smile she might have possibly seen in her whole life.

"Kyo-kun…" she said, tears streaming down her face as she gazed up at him, "I guess in my heart I always knew…" she smiled, "I've always loved the cat." He smiled back.

"The cat has finally been accepted," he murmured, "…not to the banquet, but who needs a dinner when I've got you," she leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. Then she coughed loudly…only this time it didn't stop for a matter of minutes.

"Tohru?!" Kyo exclaimed. He hit her back hard to try and help her. She coughed blood onto the bed sheet. "Oh, God…"

She gasped, and recovered her breath, her eyes wide with terror, her face stained with tears,

"Oh! I was so scared, Kyo-kun! I thought I was going to die!" She sobbed as he wrapped his arms around her, only just loosely enough that he wouldn't transform.

"You're not going to die, Dummy," Kyo reassured.

"I-I just can't stand the thought of leaving you," she said, and he pulled back in surprise.

"What? No, Tohru, you're going to get better. You have to. You have to get better." Kyo's voice was frantic. This venerability was something he usually so carefully guarded. Tears leaked from her eyes.

"I hope so. I don't want to leave. It's such a happy place here. Ever since Mom died, this is the first time I've ever had a family."

"And we'll _keep_ being a family," Kyo said fiercely. She smiled and then coughed loudly. More tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I know. I just don't want to live without you. When I think about being without you, I can't breathe, I can't—" She coughed, and started gasping for air, "Ky—I can't—" she looked up at him, her eyes wide with horror, "I—c—I can't—breathe—"

"Tohru?!"

**End of Chapter 14:**

"**I Can't Breathe Without You"**

**A/n:** I wrote this chapter at 10:30 on a Monday night. Yeesh it's gonna be hard getting up tomorrow! Anyway…I'm sorry to leave you with such a cliff hanger, but that seemed like a fun place to end it…for me! yeah, srry about that! But I think there will be one more chapter, plus an epilogue…yeah that's how it'll go! So one more chapter! Plus epilogue and we come to our conclusion! I'll see you next time, folks!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	16. Chapter 15: Wishing For One More Day

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Chapter 15: Wishing For One More Day**

"_Some live and some die and no one knows why it is so. And there's nothing we can do now for the ones beneath wooden crosses except pause and mutter: "Thanks for everything.""_

-**Ernie Pile**

_From his days reporting on the foot soldiers in World War II_

Hatori walked down out of Tohru's bedroom, having arrived a few minutes after Kyo had called in a panic. He had sent everyone out into the hallway so he could take care of her without interruptions. He looked at Kyo, his expression heartbreaking…his eyes held it all. And in that moment, Kyo knew…

"I'm so sorry," Hatori said, emotion actually breaking through his carefully constructed mask. "I did everything I could."

In that second…in that moment, Kyo's mind froze over, not wanting to acknowledge…not wanting to admit what had happened. But it was there. The knowledge was there, deep in his head. She was gone…she was gone…Tohru…was gone…

_You have one on your back too, Kyo-kun! An umeboshi!_

_I've always loved the cat!_

_ I want us to stay together!_

_ Kyo-kun, have you ever seen fireworks before?_

_ You'd want to be with the person you love, right? You'd want to be near them?_

"Dammit!" Kyo yelled, storming down the hallway into his bedroom, climbing out the window, onto the ladder, and up onto the roof. The place where he had fallen asleep with Tohru what seemed like years ago. Had it only been a few days? Had it only been a matter of minutes since he had actually kissed her? Had it been only a few minutes since…

God! No! He was in denial now. Any minute she would come climbing up the ladder to the roof. He could see it now.

"_Oh! There you are, Kyo-kun! I'm sorry I worried you! It's all right, now though—you don't need to worry about me. Dinner's about ready, would you like to come down and eat with the rest of us?"_

Any second now she would walk up that ladder with that goofy smile on her face. Any minute now…any minute now…

But he knew. Deep down in his heart, Kyo knew that she wouldn't walk up that ladder again. Not now, not ever. And he would never see that goofy smile on her face again, or see her cooking dinner in the kitchen, or folding laundry. He never again would get to laugh with her, worry with her, walk with her, smile with her, blush with her, kiss her, never ever hold her…but he would always love her.

Kyo…the hot headed, quick tempered, broody Kyo…for the first time since he'd met Kazuma…started to cry. The tears poured down his face long and fast and hard…hot and wet. Tears of grief and tears of all the things he'd lost, and all the things he'd never get a chance to lose. Everything he'd ever taken for granted. Everything. Everything in the entire world that mattered to him.

And he cried as hard as a young child whose friend had moved away, and cried until he was so exhausted he transformed into a furry orange cat, and the tears still streamed down his face, wetting the fur in tracks of darkened hair. He cried until the moon replaced the sun, and the stars replaced the clouds. He cried until it felt like he had no more tears left inside of him…and he fell asleep under the darkened sky…alone… dreaming of what the next day would never—could never bring him.

He fell asleep on the roof, the stars twinkling above him, telling him that some wishes just don't come true.

_I wish…_ he dreamed, I_ wish I could have one more day with her. To do whatever we wanted. To go on a __**real**__ date, to cat nap in the sun…to just __**be**__ together. I just wish I had one more chance to tell her I loved her. I'm just wishing for one more day…_

And he slept while a last stray tear rolled down his cheek… unconsciously knowing that Tohru would not be there in the morning to wake him with a smile.

**End of Chapter 15:**

"**Wishing For One More Day"**

**A/n:** I'm sorry Emmy and Lindsay! I had to kill her off! It was too much of a temptation to pass up! TT I'm sorry. But this chapter was originally going to have Tohru actually dying in it, but I decided to take that out, because it sounded really funny. But the Epilogue was one of my favorite parts to write! It's short, but sweet! And I personally think it is a perfect way to end the story. So enjoy it! And to all you supporters: Lindsay, Emmy, Ken-Z, Bri, my sister Tess, and anyone else, I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you sooooo much for all of your help!

Bye!

--

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North

America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). Used without permission or the intention of making a profit. Please support the original work!


	17. Epilogue All I Ever Needed

ALL I EVER NEEDED

**Epilogue: All I Ever Needed**

"_Passion. It lies in all of us; sleeping, waiting. It speaks to us…guides us. Passion rules us all… and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments: the joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live life without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace…but we would be hollow; empty rooms: shuttered and dank. Without passion…we'd be truly dead."_

-**Angel**

_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

_Six Months Later_

"It's so hard having her gone" Kyo whispered, standing at the doorway of the empty room. "I keep expecting her to show up out of no where, tripping over air or something." Yuki came up behind him, a somber expression on his face.

"I know what you mean," Yuki said. And for that moment, just for that moment…they were not the cat and the rat, enemies until the day they died…they were just two humans; sharing their pain.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Kyo spoke barely audible, almost to himself. "I don't think I'll be able to live without her. Maybe if I hadn't loved her so much, it wouldn't have been so hard to lose her. But I can't imagine not loving her. I don't think there was one second since the day I met her that I didn't love her. I can't remember a time when I didn't love her so much I couldn't stand it and now…" he choked off, "I can't live without that goofy smile she always wore. There was nothing in this world I wanted any more than her…" Kyo looked across the room, where Tohru had lived since that fateful day, to the window and up past it to the bright blue sky above.

"She was all I ever needed."

**THE END**

**Ending Notes**: Once again, I would like to thank everyone for helping me out with this and pushing me to finish it! Counting all the months I forgot about this story, it took me two years to actually get around to finishing it! 103 pages in Microsoft Word people! Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself! But really, everyone, thanks so much for your wonderful support, compliments, pointers, and just plain grumbling about "How could you kill off the main character?!" And Lindsay, we should make you a badge, okay? My #1 fan remember? Lol. I love you all, and yes, I will start working on more fan-fiction. Like I said at the beginning of the story, I might start experimenting with Kisa and Hiro, so please tune in for that. Anyway, thank you sooo much for reading my Fruits Basket fan fiction. Thank you to Natsuki Takaya for sharing the magical world in her head with all of us. So, for now, this has been Natilie Sawada, signing out!


End file.
